I'm Your Daughter
by journeyislove
Summary: Audrey is new in town..she came to find her father but what she found was more than she ever bargained for. How will her new life play out in Port Charles?
1. Chapter 1

Characters

Jason Morgan

Sam McCall

Courtney Matthews

Audrey Morgan

Carly Corinthos

Sonny Corinthos

Noah Calvin

Most of the cast will make an appearance throughout the story

In this story, obviously Courtney is not dead. I'm going to need her eventually and I didn't want to make her a ghost. Plus, I love my Journey! Hope you all enjoy my story!


	2. Daughter To Father

She stood in front of the door of penthouse two. On the other side of that door was the only family she had left. True, she didn't know him. But she wanted too. Her mother had died last month and she made a promise to herself then that she was going to find her father. She slowly raised her hand to the door and knocked. A moment later the door flew open and a petite brunette was staring hard at her. "Can I help you?" Audrey stood there quiet for a moment. "I'm here to see Jason Morgan." "Jason doesn't see strangers, even if they are little girls." Audrey all ready didn't like this woman. She was beginning to lose her cool. "Trust me; he'll want to see me." "Oh, yeah, and why is that?" "Because I'm his daughter." Audrey couldn't help it. She didn't mean to just blurt it out but this woman just got to her. Sam stood there in shock. _This can't be true._ She thought. "Jason, you have a visitor." Jason made his way down the stairs and looked at the young girl in front of him. "Who are you?" he asked. "My name is Audrey. Audrey Morgan. I'm your daughter." Jason was taken aback. "That's not possible. Robin, Courtney, and Sam don't have kids. And you're too old even if one of them did." "I'm Karen Wexler's daughter. I know you may not remember her. I heard about the brain…thing. But I promise you that you are my father." "Jason, this is impossible." "No, it's really not. I'm sure you'll want a DNA test. At least my mom said that you would." "Where is your mom?" Audrey flinched just the slightest bit. Sam didn't even notice but Jason did. "She died. Last month." Jason apologized. "Where are you living now?" "I go to PCU so I live in the dorms." They stood there for a minute just taking each other in when Sam interrupted. "Jason, take a DNA test so this girl gets out of our lives." _Who does this woman think she is?_ Audrey had known her for five minutes and all ready couldn't stand her. "You're kind of a bitch, aren't you?" Audrey spat out. "You do not talk to Sam like that." Jason shot back at her. Audrey rolled her eyes. "Whatever. When that test comes back saying what I all ready know, don't think for one second that you have any parental control over me. I am nineteen and I don't need it and I don't want it. I just wanted to find you and I have so now I'm leaving." And with that Audrey walked out of the penthouse and slammed the door. Jason and Sam just stood there taking in everything that had happened in the past five minutes. _I can't have a daughter. It's not possible. But she seems so much like me. I have to take that test._ "Jason, what are you thinking about?" "This can't be possible. And yet, she seems like my daughter, doesn't she? I have to talk to Sonny." That being said Jason left penthouse two in search of his boss.

Audrey was livid. That wasn't how meeting her father was supposed to go. He was supposed to be happy to meet her and he was supposed to love her. He wasn't supposed to yell at her and defend some stupid skank over her. And speaking of the skank, who did she think she was! She wasn't his wife, yet, because he wasn't wearing a ring. But they were engaged. If she got to know Jason she would have to take care of Sam, and quickly. Not having anywhere to go she took off towards the docks. She wasn't paying attention as she was walking and ended up running into someone. "I am so sorry." She looked up at the person and her breath caught in her throat. She had never seen someone so attractive in her life. He had dark hair and dark, intense eyes. He was staring at her as intensely as she was staring at him. She was gorgeous. She had fair skin, and the most innocent blue eyes he had ever seen. "No, it's my fault. I wasn't paying attention." She smiled at him. "I'm Audrey." "Nice to meet you, Audrey. I'm Noah." He returned her smile. They stood there for a few moments just staring at each other before Audrey broke the silence. "Well, I should go." _Hopefully I'll see you around._ She thought. He nodded. "Yeah, me too. I hope to see you around." She nodded and smiled to herself as she walked up the stairs and towards her dorm. Maybe Port Charles wouldn't be so bad after all.


	3. Take the Test

Noah couldn't get her out of his mind as he walked towards his destination. He knocked on the door when he got there and Sam opened the door. "Jason's not here right now." "Oh, we were supposed to have a meeting. Do you know where he went?" "He went to see Sonny. He got quite the little surprise today." Noah didn't know what Sam was talking about. He didn't ask though. If he needed to know then Jason would tell him. Noah had become an important part of Sonny's organization. He had been hired when Jason was running things but when Sonny got better he kept him on. Sonny trusted Noah almost as much as he trusted Jason. Instead of going to Sonny's, Noah walked towards the docks, kind of hoping to see Audrey again. He didn't know what it was about her but he was drawn to her. Jason would call him when he needed him.

Jason didn't know what to think. He had a million different thoughts racing through his head as he was driving to Sonny's. _What if this was a joke? What if one of our enemies is trying to get to us? What if she really is my daughter?_ He pushed the thoughts out of his head as he turned down Sonny's driveway. If anyone could help him work through all the options it was Sonny. He walked into the living room, not in the least bit surprised that Carly was there. She was yelling at Sonny for one thing or another but he was listening. He was too focused on his own problems right now. "Carly, I need to talk to Sonny. You need to leave." Carly was taken aback. She was used to being kicked out but she was in the middle of a conversation. "Excuse me, but I was in the middle of something…" Jason didn't care. "GET OUT CARLY! I need to talk to Sonny. It is important." "Fine. Goodbye." Carly stormed out and Sonny looked at Jason as if he had two heads. "What's going on?" "A girl came to my penthouse today. She said she was my daughter." Sonny was clearly surprised. "What?" "Do you—do you remember Karen Wexler?" "Yeah, yeah." "She said that she's Karen's daughter. Apparently Karen got pregnant before I—before I lost my memory. She said she would even take a DNA test to prove it. What do you think? Do you think one of our enemies is trying to distract us?" Sonny thought about his question. It was possible. It didn't seem probable though. The girl wouldn't have offered a DNA test unless she was certain that she was in fact Jason's daughter. "Where's Karen?" "She died last month." "Well, I think that you should take the test. If this girl is, in fact, your daughter, then she needs you right now. And you've missed too much time with her all ready. How old is she anyway?" "Nineteen." "Wow. That's way too long to lose out on your daughter's life. Take the test and we'll see what happens from there." Jason agreed. If Audrey was his daughter then he had a lot of explaining and making up to do to her. He hoped that she had a father figure when she was growing up. He decided to go to the hospital to schedule a paternity test before he went to tell Sam and Audrey.

He walked into the hospital and immediately spotted Courtney on the phone. She too saw him and waved him over. "Okay, Dad, okay I have to go. I love you too. Bye. Hey Jase. What are you doing here? Is something wrong?" He didn't know if he should tell her or not. He knew she wouldn't tell anyone. And at one time he had loved her more than anything in the world.

He decided to tell her. "Well, I'm here to schedule a paternity test." She gave him a quizzical look. "For who? Is Sam pregnant again and she once again doesn't know who the dad is?" She immediately regretted what she said. Well, she regretted saying it out loud. "I'm sorry, Jase. I shouldn't have said that." "It's…it's okay. I had a girl show up at my penthouse today claiming to be my daughter." "Oh, wow. Well, I mean how? That's not possible…is it?" That's exactly what he thought. "Well, I didn't think it was. But then she mentioned her mother, who I guess I dated before my accident, so I don't really know. I just want to get this all figured out as soon as possible. If she is my daughter I have to make up for a lot of time." Courtney, as well as everyone else, didn't know what to think. She was married to this man and the whole time he could've been a father. She wondered how Sam was handling it. "How did Sam take the news?"

"She didn't take it very well. In fact, they butted heads pretty much immediately. Which I don't know how I'm going to handle that if it turns out that Audrey is my daughter. I love Sam, but she would be my daughter and I'm supposed to always be on her side, right?" Courtney knew that Jason was babbling so she just nodded her head. She couldn't see Sam loving or even liking a child that Jason had with another woman. Especially if she was old enough to push Sam out of the picture. "Jason, I'm so sorry but I have to go. If you need to talk or anything I'm here for you. But I have to go meet Carly." He didn't say anything, just nodded his head as he watched her walk away and get onto the elevator. He felt comfortable talking to her again. They had ended so badly but he had loved her so much. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind as he went to schedule the test.

Dr. Meadows said that she could get them in right away so he called both Sam and Audrey down to the hospital. He didn't know why he called Sam. For moral support he supposed. Before he could change his mind Sam walked over to him and gave him a kiss. "Hey, babe. Is your supposed daughter here yet?" "No, she's not here yet." "Oh, well, maybe this whole thing was a setup by one of your enemies and she won't show. Then we could get back to our lives and…" "Don't count on it. I showed up." Sam whirled around to see Audrey staring at her with a smug look on her face. Before Sam could say anything Dr. Meadows ushered them into her office. She quickly took a swab from Jason and Audrey and they sat in her office waiting for the results.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice." Jason nodded. "We just want to know the truth…" Audrey interrupted him. "I all ready know the truth." He looked over at her but only saw anger and hurt. He looked back at Dr. Meadows. "Do you have the results?" "Jason, you—" Sam cut her off before she finished her sentence. "Wait. Jason, no matter what happens, I just want you to know that I love you and we'll make this work." "I love you so much." Audrey wanted to puke. She saw right through Sam's act. "Oh please, can we just get this over with?" Dr. Meadows nodded her head. "Jason, Audrey is…"


	4. Is she or isn't she?

Okay…so before I start this next chapter I just want to say, before I get sued, that I only own Audrey and Noah and whoever else I bring in who isn't a cast member…nothing and no one else…and I also want to thank the few people who have reviewed…they were all really nice and they all made me smile! So thank you! NOW…on with the next chapter!

"Jason, Audrey is your daughter." Jason and Sam were shocked. "Oh, my God," Sam didn't know what else to say. Jason looked up at Audrey. "Audrey, I…" "I told you!" She stormed out and Jason ran out after her. Sam was left alone wondering how this was all going to play out.

Jason ran down the hall trying to catch up with Audrey. "Audrey! Just wait!" "Why should I? Huh? All I want to do was meet you and I have. Now you can go back to your normal life in the mob…with your tramp." "Leave Sam out of this. I'm your father. You came to Port Charles to find me. Why wouldn't you want a relationship with me?" "Look at what you do. Look at where you live. When I pictured my father, I pictured a boring accountant with a nice house with a porch and a garage. Not a hit man with a bulletproof penthouse. I have been left and let down too many times in my life and I won't go through it again." He noticed the tears in her eyes and the pain in her voice and his heart broke a little. "Audrey, I'm not like all the other people in your life. And yes, I have a dangerous job, but so far nothing has happened to me. I'm good at it, and while I'm not invincible, I'm the closest thing to it. I'm your father and I know we just found out and I know that I just met you but I love you and I will protect you with me life."

"I don't need you to protect me! I've been doing fine taking care of myself. When my mom couldn't help me, I learned to defend myself. I even learned to fight off her husband when he would…" She stopped, kicking herself for almost letting what happened with her step-father slip. Jason didn't like the sound of that. "When he would what?" "Nothing, never mind." She didn't want to relive or even think about what that pig did to her. She had gotten past it but she knew that Jason wasn't going to let it go. "Audrey, what did he do to you? Did he hurt you somehow? If he hurt you then I will…" "HE RAPED ME, okay? For years, he would come into my room after beating my mom and he would rape me. I finally stopped him." She was letting her tears fall loosely now. She had never admitted that to anyone. But in a way it felt good to confide in her father.

"Audrey," "I trusted him. He was my father for basically my whole life and he betrayed me. How do you expect me to trust you?" His heart was breaking for his daughter. "I'm not going to force you to have a relationship with me if you're not comfortable. But I'm not him. I would never to anything to hurt you or make you cry. You came all this way to find me, and you did. Don't waste your effort. Just think about it." She nodded. She knew all ready that he was telling the truth. He wouldn't do anything to hurt her. "I will. It'll just take some time. But I have to go. Bye Jason." With that, she turned around and walked away. Leaving Jason fuming over what her step-father had done.

He pulled out his cell phone and called Noah. "Find out who Karen Wexler was married too. If it was multiple people I want the list and pictures of each guy. I'm gonna kill the son of a bitch." He hung up and went back to find Sam. He found her sitting in the waiting room, staring off into space. She was probably just as shocked as he was. Now came telling everybody that he had a daughter.

Audrey went to the docks after she left the hospital. She was a mess. She was crying and positive that she had a solid stream of mascara running down her face. This wasn't how their reunion was supposed to go. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice a guy sit down on the bench next to her. She jumped when she finally noticed him. "There are plenty of benches to sit on. You don't have to fill one up before you can use another one." She felt bad for snapping at the guy but she wasn't in a good mood. He apologized. "You looked upset and I was just wondering if I could help. I'm Daniel." He stuck his hand out for her to shake. She looked at his hand, suspiciously before shaking it. "I'm Audrey. And I just found something out. I just need to get my mind off of it." "I can help you." "You don't even know me. Why would you want to help me?" She didn't trust this guy, but if he could take her mind off of Jason and Sam and her step-father she was willing to give it a try.

"There's a little bar, called Jake's not too far from here. I would be happy to accompany you there." She took a second before agreeing. A little alcohol would be nice to get her mind off of everything and just let loose. As soon as they walk into Jake's, Daniel goes to the bar and orders them two shots. He walked over to the bar and offered her one of the shots. Instead of just taking one, Audrey took both and downed them. "Well you really must have had a hard day." She nodded and he went back to the bar for two more shots and two bottles of beer.

It didn't take long for Audrey to be annihilated. "I am having such a great time with you!" "That's good. How about another drink?" She perked up at his question. "That is a great idea! You…you go get that and I'm gonna go dance." Daniel smiled to himself as he walked away. _This is almost too easy_. He thought as he got to the bar. Little did he know that Jason had Audrey followed for her safety.

Noah walked over to Audrey and gently pulled her into the corner. "Noah! Hey!" "Hey, Audrey. What are you doing?" "Having fun." She said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Yeah, yeah I can see that but aren't you having a little too much fun? Audrey, you aren't even 21." "So…no one cares! The bartender doesn't care, my date doesn't care, I don't care!" Noah gently grabbed Audrey's elbow, trying to direct her through the crowd. "Audrey, I have been instructed to take you back to your father's penthouse." At the word penthouse Audrey ripped her arm out of Noah's grasp.

"Are you kidding me? You…you work for my dad?" She felt tears stinging the back of her eyes. Noah, the guy that had taken her breath away worked for her father. She couldn't believe it. "Yes, I work for Jason. And no, I'm not kidding you. We have to go." "Get the hell away from me!" Daniel walked up now, after hearing Audrey yelling. "What's going on here? Is everything okay?" "My dad sent guards to spy on me. Tell my dad to go to hell. Let's go Daniel." She took Daniel by the arm and started walking upstairs. Noah hung his head. He didn't know that the Audrey that he met on the docks was Jason's daughter. He had wanted to find her again, to get to know her. Now he would never get the chance. Jason would never let him near his daughter.

He shook the thoughts from his head as he ran after her. "Audrey, I was given strict orders to bring you to Jason immediately." She whipped around. She was still breathtaking, even when she was drunk and a mess. "I am not going anywhere with you. I am on a date and I am not done with my date!" "Yes you are." Noah picked her up and started carrying her to the car. "Noah! Noah, put me down! This is unbelievable!" "Put her down man!" "Stand back sir. We have to get her home." "The stupid penthouse is NOT my home! Can I at least say goodbye to him, Noah." He stopped and thought about it. "Make it fast. And don't try anything."

"I am so sorry about this, Daniel." "Yeah, I had fun with you. We should, uh, do this again sometime." And as quickly as he could, Daniel turned around and walked away. "And I'll never see him again." She turned around and looked at Noah. "Thanks a lot." They got in the limo and took off towards Harborview Towers.

Audrey was fuming by the time they got there. Noah had to run to keep up with her. He knew it was going to be ugly when she cam face to face with Jason. They walked into the penthouse and she let out blood curdling screams for Jason. "Jason! Jase…" "Yeah." He walked down the stairs. He took in her appearance and shook his head. Her clothes were disheveled and her hair was a mess. She would definitely be embarrassed when she sobered up a little.

"How could you do that to me! What the hell were you thinking? I told you that you have no control in my life! You ruined my date!" He was lucky that he didn't have any neighbors or they would have called the police at how loud she was yelling. He calmly began talking to her. "Your date took you to a scummy bar and was shoving drinks down your throat. He only wanted one ting." "Yeah and if I hadn't wanted the same thing…I would have said no. I made all my own decisions tonight. I decided to go to the bar. I decided to drink. And I would have decided whether it went any further." She was a typical rape victim. She was now throwing herself into bed with all these guys to try and control what happened to her. "What if he didn't let you decide? What if he made the decision for you?"

She had tears running down her cheeks. "You are to go nowhere near him again and from now on, Marco is to be with you at all times." "The hell he is! I am nineteen and I'm gonna go out and have fun and, yeah, maybe even drink. And you can't stop me." "I am your father, and I have eyes everywhere. I can stop you." "Ugh! This is unbelievable! I never should have looked for you!" She stormed off, leaving Jason there feeling the power of the words she said.


	5. I saw everything in her

She slammed the door to the spare bedroom collapsed on the bed. She knew she shouldn't have said that to him. And if she was sober, she probably wouldn't have. But who did he think he was? He had known about her for a day and he was all ready trying to control her life. She didn't get too far in thought because as soon as she was under the covers she passed out.

Jason stood downstairs for a moment with his head down. He knew that she probably didn't mean what she said. It was her after all that came looking for him so it was probably just the alcohol talking. But that still didn't make the words hurt any less. He looked up at noticed that Noah was still in the room. "Thanks for bringing her home safe tonight." Noah nodded, knowing that was his cue, and he turned at walked out of the Penthouse. After Noah had shut the door, Jason turned and walked upstairs. Before going into his room, he opened the door and peeked in at Audrey. There was no waking her up and no point in talking about anything tonight so he shut the door and walked into his room.

Sam was sitting on the bed staring at him when he walked in. She had heard everything that Audrey had said. If she really meant it then maybe she would stay out of there lives. Sam could only hope. Jason wasn't supposed to have a child with another woman. He was supposed to have children with her. But she couldn't Jason know how she really felt. She had to play this as if she wanted to be a part of Audrey's life. That was the only way that she could keep him. "She'll come around. She just needs some time." Jason nodded. He really hoped so. He had all ready missed out on so much of her life. He didn't want to miss anymore.

The next morning Audrey woke up with a terrible headache. And an even worse heartache. She remembered everything that she had said to Jason. She never meant to hurt him. She was just mad and being drunk probably didn't help any. _Oh god_, she thought,_ Noah saw me last night. Noah saw me yell and scream and throw tantrums. _She groaned and rolled out of bed. She headed downstairs, quickly finding that she was the only one in the penthouse. She decided to shower and then she would do something to make everything up to Jason. After she got out of the shower and threw her hair up in a ponytail she walked back downstairs.

She looked around but the only thing she could think to do was clean. She was just about to get started when there was a knock on the door. She looked around a moment before she opened it. "Hi. Can I help you?" "Who the hell are you?" Audrey was taken aback. This woman certainly said what she was thinking. "I'm Audrey. I'm Jason's…" "…daughter." Audrey nodded. "Oh, my God, I am so sorry. I'm Carly, Jason's best friend." "Oh, you're the infamous Carly. I've heard all about you from Sam." Carly rolled her eyes and walked into the penthouse. "I'm sure you have. If you haven't noticed, I'm not her favorite person." Audrey laughed. "Yeah, I caught onto that. But hey, I'm now her favorite person either."

"Well, I like you all ready. But I really need to find Jason. Do you have any idea where he could be?" Audrey shook her head and shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I just woke up and was alone." "Okay, well I have to go pick up my boys. If you ever need anything let me know, okay?" "Okay." "Tell Jason I stopped by." "I will. It was nice to meet you Carly." "You too…oh and if you ever want to know anything about your dad just ask me." Carly opened the door to leave and ran right into Sam. They glared at each other before Carly turned around and smiled at Audrey and then left.

"Stay away from Carly. She's nothing but trouble and destruction." "She's my dad's best friend and a hell of a lot better than you. So why isn't he with her?" "She betrayed your dad and slept with his other best friend, Sonny. Some great friend, huh?" "Well it's obvious that he forgave her. So if you really cared about him you would try to like her." Sam sighed. "Carly and I have a lot of history, some of which doesn't even involve Jason. Besides Carly hasn't liked any of Jason's girlfriends except for Courtney, they were best friends."

"Who is Courtney? Is she still around?" "Courtney was your father's wife. They got together after she divorced his brother. She is also Sonny's sister. They hid their relationship for a while and when Sonny found out he went nuts. He made Jason break up with her and he did for a while but they eventually got back together. He proposed and they planned a wedding but their first wedding was interrupted when Carly came up missing. During that time Courtney became pregnant but ended up doing something stupid and she lost their baby. She never told Jason she was pregnant. They tried to get past it, they even got married, but they were never the same after that. She eventually decided that she couldn't handle his lifestyle so she left him. Courtney is pathetic and worthless. I don't know what Jason ever saw in her." "I saw everything in her."


	6. My Life Is Too Dangerous For You

"Courtney is kind, and beautiful, and funny. She brought out the best in me." Jason walked into the penthouse and shut the door. Neither Audrey nor Sam had heard the door open. "Then why did you divorce her? Why didn't you fight for her?" "She couldn't handle my life and my job. I wanted it to work, more than anything. She was my life for so long and I had never loved anyway the way that I loved her. But in the end it was her call." Audrey smiled. "She was the love of your life, wasn't she?" Sam perked up at that question. "Please tell us, Jason, was she?" Jason looked from Sam to Audrey to Sam again. "It's not that simple. The kind of love I had with Courtney and the kind of love I have with Sam are totally different. In the way that I loved Courtney, yes, she was the love of my life." "I knew it." All three of them looked at the door as Carly walked in.

Sam was not in the mood for Carly. "Carly, now is not a good time. We need to talk about this." "What's to talk about? Jason doesn't love you." "Carly, I didn't say that. I do love Sam very much." Audrey wasn't about to stand there quiet when she knew that she could get rid of Sam. "Just not like you love Courtney." "No…" Jason stopped when Audrey's question sank in. She said love, not loved. He looked at Sam who had tears streaming down her face. "Do you still love her?" Sam knew that she was in a lose, lose situation. Jason couldn't lie to her so he would tell her the truth; she just wasn't so sure she wanted to hear it. "A part of me will always love her." "That's great." Sam blew past him and slammed the door.

Jason ran out after her, and Carly ran after him yelling at him to be honest with himself. Audrey laughed to herself. Maybe this wasn't such a bad family after all. She decided that since she again had the penthouse to herself, that she would clean it before Jason came back.

A while after she started cleaning Marco poked his head in the door. "Miss Audrey, Noah Calvin is here." Audrey felt her stomach do somersaults. "Oh, okay, send him in. Hey." "Hey. Is Jason here?" Neither one could explain it or even think to bring it up but they both felt connected and drawn to each other. "No, he's not. I don't know where he went. He went chasing after Sam." "Oh…" He turned to leave when he heard Audrey's voice. "You can wait for him, though, if—if you want too." He felt a small smile tugging at his lips. "Uh, yeah, sure. So what are you up too?" "I'm just cleaning the penthouse a little. You could help if you wanted." She flashed a large, infectious smile at him.

"Oh could I?" "Yeah, I'll let you." Noah laughed. "All right, what will you let me do?" She looked around the penthouse. "How about you dust, sweep, and vacuum." "And while I dust, sweep, and vacuum what will you be doing?" "Supervising." She said it as it was the most obvious answer in the world. "Chop, chop, this penthouse won't clean itself. Noah walked over to the couch and sat down. "No, no it won't." Audrey looked at him with wide eyes. "What are you…you can't slack on the job. Jason will fire you." Noah laughed. "Cleaning his penthouse isn't really in my job description." "Oh, well then, how about you help me vacuum?" "That I can do." She pulled the vacuum out and plugged it in.

She was pushing the vacuum as he stood behind her helping her guide it. She didn't really need help; she just wanted to be close to him. He started going a little too fast for her to handle. "You're going to fast! Wait, don't do that! I'm gonna trip on the cord!" As soon as she said that she tripped and fell back right into his arms. "Whoa careful there." She looked up at him and they stared longingly into each other's eyes. Their moment, however, was broken when Jason walked in the door.

"What's going on?" They pulled apart quickly Audrey took a few steps away from Noah. "I needed to talk to you about something." "Noah was just helping me clean while he was waiting for you." Jason nodded. He didn't like what he walked in on. "Audrey can you…" "Yeah, I need to shower anyway." She looked over at Noah before quickly disappearing up the stairs. Instead of going to take a shower Audrey sat on the top step and listened to their conversation.

"You and Audrey seem to be getting pretty close. She has had enough heartache. She doesn't need anymore. I don't want this life touching her. You better back off now." "Nothing's going on. I came to talk to you, she needed help with the vacuum and she tripped on the cord. It was innocent." Noah knew he was lying. He definitely felt something when she fell into his arms. He also knew that Jason would never allow anything to happen between them. "I saw the way you two looked at each other. If you want to stay in this corporation, you stay away from Audrey. The less contact with her you have, the better." Audrey couldn't help herself as soon as she heard his say those words. She flew around the corner of the steps, "You can't tell him not to see me."

She stood there, a little embarrassed that she had let them know that she was listening. But she couldn't let Jason run her life like this. Jason sighed. "Audrey, you know you shouldn't eavesdrop." "Yeah, when you're talking about business, not my life!" "You're life is mine to protect…" "And it's mine to live! Jason, I appreciate you wanting to look out for me, I really do, but you don't get to decide who my friends are." She was going to stand her ground no matter what. The feelings she felt for Noah were feelings that she had never felt before. She wasn't about to give them up. "My life is dangerous and since Noah works for me, his life is dangerous. You've been through enough in your life; you don't need to be put at risk." Audrey was starting to get mad.

"Oh but it's okay that you put me at risk because I'm your daughter, and it's okay for you to put Sam at risk because you love her, but what, we can't be friends with your employees?" Jason knew that she would fight him on this but he wasn't going to back down. He needed her safe. There were plenty of guys in Port Charles that she could date. Noah wasn't an option.

"Being friends with Noah puts you at unnecessary risk." "Jason…" "Audrey, your dad's right. My life is too dangerous for you." She was taken aback and hurt by Noah's statement. She looked over at him and he could see the hurt burning in her eyes. He felt sick that he was the one that put it there. But as quickly as he saw the hurt, he saw the anger. "You don't know that! Okay, neither one of you know me and what I can handle. Now, because you've both just tried to run my life, you won't get the chance. Well done." She ran up the stairs and locked herself in the bathroom. She couldn't believe that Noah agreed with her dad. Maybe he was just like Jason.


	7. Find Her

Audrey collapsed against the bathroom door and cried. Noah was different than any other guy that she had ever met. She wanted to get to know him. Even if nothing romantic ever happened between them she at least wanted his friendship. But her biological father stood in her way, just like her step-father once had. He would never let her date anyone because he would get jealous. She wasn't sure how long she cried but she eventually pulled herself together and got into the shower.

Noah and Jason stood downstairs taking in everything that had just happened. Instead of talking about it though they got right to business. There was a new threat lurking around and Jason wanted to take care of them before they found out about Audrey. Besides he had more important matters to get to; like her stepfather. He was going to take care of him and make sure he never hurt anyone again. Noah left to get to work on where the threat was coming from. Jason composed himself before walking upstairs to try and talk to Audrey.

He got to the bathroom and heard the shower running. He decided to wait until later before they talked. He instead decided to run to Kelly's and get them something to eat. Sam agreed to let them have dinner alone tonight to try and work some stuff out and he wanted it to be ready by the time she got out of the shower. He went downstairs and wrote her a note before heading to the diner.

She got out of the shower and walked downstairs. She walked into the kitchen and found no one. She walked to the desk and found Jason's note. She let out a cynical laugh about them having a family dinner before she threw the note away. Just as she's about to go back upstairs someone knocks on the door. "I wonder where Marco is." She shrugged it off and went to open the door. She didn't recognize the man standing on the other side and he gave her an uneasy feeling. "Who are you?" The man didn't answer so she shut the door. She walked to the desk, forgetting to lock the door, and picked up her cell phone. Just as she was getting ready to call Jason the man burst through the door and grabbed her from behind. She struggled as he put a drugged cloth over her mouth. She dropped her cell phone as the drug overtook her and the man dragged her out of the building unnoticed.

She woke up a while later in a dark, cold room. "Hello? Is anywhere here? Where the hell am I?" A man walked in a moment later with a sick grin on his face. He wasn't the same man that grabbed her. She had never seen this man before. "Ah Miss Morgan, how nice of you to wake up. I've been waiting to talk to you." "Who are you? What do you want from me?" "I needed to get your father's attention. You were the fastest way to get it." "Why do you people kidnap families to get what you want? Can't you be original for a change?" "Don't worry, I'll be original. Because you see this time, Jason won't see his daughter alive again. Is that original enough for you?" He let out an evil laugh before walking out of the room. Audrey, for the first time in her life, was truly scared.

Jason walked into the elevator after going to Kelly's. He didn't know what she wanted to dinner so he ordered one of everything. She could pick whatever she wanted and then he could give the rest to the guards. The elevator dinged at his floor as he stepped out. He turned to go into his penthouse when he noticed his door ajar. There was also no guard at the door. He took out his gun and pushed the door open. He looked around and realized it was empty. That's when he looked down and saw Audrey's cell phone on the ground. He picked it up and looked at it and saw that she was getting ready to call him.

"Damn it! Marco!" It took a few minutes before the guard finally strolled through the door. "Yeah, boss?" "Did you see Audrey leave?" "No, sir." "Then why isn't she here and why is her cell phone on the floor?" "Find her. Check her dorm, the campus, anywhere she might be. There's a new threat in town and I don't want him to get Audrey." "I'm on it." Marco left and Jason threw the first glass thing that he touched. He knew something like this was going to happen.

Audrey was trying desperately to get out of the ropes that were around her wrists. She was so busy she didn't even notice the door open. She heard it close and looked up. "My dad is gonna find me and then he's going to kill you." The man laughed. "I heard you were feisty but no one told me you were naïve. Jason won't get to you in time." "Well, I heard that Jason has never failed when he was looking for someone he loved. He won't give up on me until I'm home." "That's cute. It's good to be positive. It'll be more enjoyable for me to watch you slowly lose hope." "You're a sick bastard!" "Now, now there's no need for name calling Audrey. You should be nice to me. I am the one in charge of your fate." He smiled at her before leaving her alone again. Audrey screamed. "Let me out of here! Jason please hurry."

Noah ran into Harborview Towers as quickly as he could. His heart stopped as soon as he heard about Audrey. He wanted to help in any way he could to bring her home. He opted for the stairs instead of the elevator and ran up the flights of stairs until he got to Jason's floor. "Jason, I came as quickly as I could. What's going on?" "Audrey was taken out of the penthouse. We need to find her now!" "How did they get her out of here without a guard noticing?" "They created a distraction and when the guards were gone they grabbed her. She dropped her phone. Do you see now why I don't want her involved with you?" "We can't think about that now. Who's the new guy in town? What do we know about him?" "He came from Miami, wants territory, the usual. Although I've heard he doesn't keep his victims alive very long so we have to find her soon. I just found her, Noah; I'm not ready to lose her yet." "We'll find her."

Audrey looked around the room she was in. There were no lights, no windows, and only one door. She didn't know what she was going to do but she needed to get untied first. "Okay, Audrey, you can do it. Just calm down and untie the ropes." "That wouldn't be a very good idea." "I can't escape just because my hands aren't tied behind my back. This is inhumane!" "Exactly, see that's the beauty…" Audrey lost her cool. "Just untie my freaking hands! You are keeping me locked in a room with I'm guessing a guard on the other side of the door, I just want to be able to walk around!" "Well since you put it that way, I guess I could let you walk around for a while. This isn't permanent though so don't try coming up with any escape plan." "You need more faith in your plans and staff Mr.…" "Vargas." "Mr. Vargas. You should give yourself a little more credit and me a little less." "You're Jason Morgan's daughter. I'm being careful." "What do you want from Jason anyway…territory, do you want to run drugs, what?" "You're not as naïve to the business as I thought. I want to be in charge of Port Charles." "Then run for mayor, don't kidnap nineteen year old girls." "You really should watch the sarcasm princess. Daddy's not here to save you." "Yet."

Jason paced around the penthouse as Noah called everyone one of their contacts looking for information. Jason had called Sonny but hadn't been able to get a hold of him. He was in a therapy session. "What have we found out?" Noah had barely closed his phone before Jason asked. "Vargas just got in town last week. Word is he wants to run Port Charles. We don't know where he's hiding yet." "Keep looking. I want her found by nightfall tomorrow or everyone is fired."

Carly walked in on that last statement and knew something bad happened. "Jase, what's going on?" "We have a new threat. He kidnapped Audrey." "What! Oh Jase, I'm so sorry. What can I do to help?" "Just keep an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious. And keep trying to get a hold of Sonny. I haven't talked to him yet. Call me as soon as you talk to him." "I will. I love you, Jase. You'll get her back." "Yeah, you too."

Audrey scoffed at the man in front of her. "You don't want trouble with Jason. And if he brings Sonny into this, you're done." "Well, that's why you're here…to keep things trouble-free. So, I'm going to tell you what to do, and you're going to do it." "What do you want me to do?" "Call Jason." "Are you actually gonna untie my hands for this or no?" He walked over and untied her hands. "I need a phone. I dropped mine when your thugs grabbed me." He handed her a phone. "Here you go, princess. But let me warn you, screw up once and you're done." She dialed Jason's number and waited for it to ring.

Jason was still pacing around his penthouse when his cell phone started ringing. "Yeah?" "Dad?" "Oh, Audrey, are you okay? Are you hurt?" "No, no I'm fine." "Where are you?" "I can't…I can't tell you. Dad…" Vargas grabbed the phone from Audrey before she could finish her sentence. "Audrey? Audrey!" "We'll call again…if she's good. Next time follow instructions…be alone…and maybe, maybe she'll live." "Just tell me what you want." Before he could get an answer he heard the phone click. The line was dead.


	8. Please Come Find Me

Vargas hung up the phone and looked at Audrey. "You're a smart girl. That's good because stupid people get hurt." "You must be pretty scared then because you can't outsmart my dad and…" She stopped before she said his name. Vargas caught on to her apprehension so he decided to provoke her. "And who…Noah, your boyfriend?" "Noah is not my boyfriend but he is just as smart and just as dangerous as Jason." "Well you better hope they can follow instructions. Your life depends on it." Audrey gave him a look as cold as ice. Anyone who saw her at that point would know she was Jason Morgan's daughter. "You don't scare me." "One hour, little girl, Morgan gets to decide what you're worth to him. Now, you better pray he cares enough to do what I want. Otherwise…" He paused for dramatic effect. "Well I think you know." Audrey scoffed at him. "Don't underestimate the lengths a father will go to for his daughter."

Vargas rolled his eyes and left Audrey alone in the dark again. She was losing her patience and her hope. She needed someone to find her, and soon. "Come on! Somebody help me! Please, anybody help me! Can anyone hear me? No. Come on." She was trying furiously to get out of her restraints. She needed to be free before she could come up with a plan. And being restrained was driving her nuts. "Come on. Come on, think. Think, think, think. Oh. Come on, just a little bit more. Damn it!"

Jason was going insane. He had no leads and no clues on where to find Audrey. It's like she disappeared. No one saw him take her. "When you spoke to Audrey, did she give you any clue as to where she was?" Noah was just as upset as Jason was about Audrey being gone. He felt so bad about what happened to them right before she was taken. "She said she couldn't say." "Did you hear anything in the background? Was she close? Far away?" "I can't say." Jason slammed his fists down on his desk. "Damn it!" Noah had never seen Jason like this. He was always so calm and collected. "It's okay Jason…" "No it's not okay! We got nothing to go on!" "Taking Audrey was smart. She's easy to grab. Once they have her, they have you. You're the key to Sonny's whole operation."

Jason thought about what Noah was saying. He had been through this so many times. People he loved were always being kidnapped. Sam had been kidnapped more than once, as had Courtney. He had always managed to find them though. He remembered when he found Courtney after Alcazar had taken her. She looked so frail when he found her in the clinic. Alcazar had broken her. He would make sure that no one would ever break someone he loved again. He came out of his thoughts and began to think of what someone would want with Audrey. "So they must want something only I have. You know once they get it, they're going to kill her." "You need to get in touch with Sonny so you can get to her before something happens." Jason nodded and left the penthouse.

He drove as quickly as he could to Sonny's house. He hoped that Carly had been able to tell him what was going on. He didn't have time to explain the situation. He pulled up to Sonny's house and jumped off his bike. He burst through the door, nodding at Max before going into the living room. He walked in and saw Carly and Sonny talking on the couch. They turned to look at him and Carly excused herself before she got kicked out. She stopped in front of Jason before she left and kissed him on the cheek.

She closed the door on the way out and before Jason could explain what was going on Sonny was all ready talking. "Do you have any leads of Audrey yet?" Jason hung his head. "Not yet. I have to find her, she's counting on me." "You have never let anyone down and you're not going to start now. She knows you won't give up on her." "I just came to check in. I have people to talk to. I'll check in later." Jason was out the door before Sonny could stop him. He hoped this was all going to work out. Jason and Audrey needed each other.

The door opened and Audrey looked up to see Vargas walking in. "How are you holding up in here?" "Like you care! But just to humor you, I'm going nuts. Please don't leave me alone in here. My wrists are killing me. I just want to move my arms." Audrey was pleading, but she didn't care. She was coming close to her breaking point and if he didn't let her move around she was going to break. "Do you think I'm that heartless?" "Please let me walk around the room! Please, you can stay in here just untie the ropes." Vargas contemplated her request. "All right, I'll untie the ropes and let you have free reign over this room and the bathroom. Don't double cross me." "Thank you."

It was exactly one hour since he last talked to Audrey that Jason's phone rang. He looked at it before frantically answering. "Audrey?" "Wrong. Are you alone?" Jason grimaced. "Yeah." "Good. Now, what you're gonna need to do is steal the business away from Corinthos, again. The deal is once you get it you give it to me. And if you don't, your daughter here will be worse off than she all ready is." He put the phone up the Audrey's mouth. "Be good now. Say hello." "Dad, please help me. I'm…" "Bye bye." Vargas hung up the phone and left Audrey alone in the room. "Please. Come find me."

Jason hadn't told Sam what was going on yet. She was still angry at him for the whole Courtney discussion. He wasn't in the mood to talk to her right now. He needed to focus all his energy on finding his daughter. He needed to go back to Sonny's and give him an update. He turned to leave the docks and saw Courtney walking towards him. He didn't know why but he felt himself relax just knowing that she was around. She smiled at him as she walked up to him. "Hey, Jase." "Hey." She eyed him suspiciously. It looked like something was bothering him.

They had been on good terms lately so she decided to ask him what was wrong. "Jase, are you okay? You look like something's bothering you." He nodded. She knew him so well. She could tell just by looking at him that something was wrong. Sam couldn't do that. "You know that surprise daughter that I was telling you about?" She nodded so he continued. "Well, she's been kidnapped." Courtney gasped. "Oh Jason, I am so sorry. But I know that if anyone can find her…you can. She'll be okay knowing that you're looking for her. I always was." He smiled at her confession. "I didn't always get to you in time though." She sighed. He still blamed himself for her losing their baby.

"Jason, the only reason I survived Alcazar was because I knew that you were looking for me. And that you wouldn't give up on me no matter what. I made a decision and it was the wrong one but it was not your fault. Just concentrate on getting to her and if you need to talk to someone, you know you can call me. I would love to help you." She kissed him on the cheek and quickly walked past him. She brushed up against his shoulder and he felt a familiar fire in his heart.

He pushed the thoughts of her out of his head for the time being so he could concentrate on finding Audrey. He would get back to Courtney later. He ran up the stairs of the docks and took off towards Sonny's house. Sonny was on the phone when Jason pulled up. "Anything on Audrey Morgan? All right. Jason's going to be checking in. I need you to stay on it, Stan, because, you know, they grabbed her for leverage and I don't want her hurt in somebody's else's fight. Thanks." Just as Sonny hung up the phone, Jason flew into the room. "I know what Vargas wants." Sonny looked at him expectantly. "What?" "Everything." Sonny shook his head and began to pace around his living room. "This is bad. Any idea where Audrey is?" "No, they cut me off too soon." "What about Noah? Where is he?" "I have him searching everywhere she could possibly be." "So they want my organization in return for Audrey?" "Yeah, so far." Sonny nodded and rubbed his chin. "It's started."


	9. I'm Leverage Enough

First off I just want to thank the people who are reviewing…especially RainSmooches who NEVER fails to review! Your reviews always make me smile! Second I just want to let you know that this kidnapping isn't all happening in one day. I don't know if I'll ever say exactly how many days it takes place I just wanted you to know it's not all one day.

Audrey was crying when she heard her door open. She quickly tried wiping away her tears but stopped when she saw Vargas dragging someone into the room. It took her a minute to notice that it was Noah. Her heart fell. "Noah? Oh my God! What did you do to him? Why couldn't you just keep me?" Vargas threw him on the cot in the room. "He asked all the wrong questions." Audrey ran over to where Noah was laying and started rubbing his face, trying to get him to wake up. "Noah, please wake up. I don't want to be alone anymore. Come on, can you hear me?" "Don't worry he's alive. At least he was on the way over." Audrey was ready to shoot fire. "Take him out of here! You don't need him, you have me. I'm leverage enough." Vargas let out an evil laugh. "You have bigger problems, princess, like hoping your dad doesn't screw up." With that, he turned around and left Audrey to revive Noah. "Noah, please open your eyes. I need you, Noah."

Sonny was woken up by Jason pounding down his door. He walked down and let him in, wondering what the hell was so important that he had to be up so early. "Sonny, we have major problems." Sonny rubbed his eyes. "What happened? Is Audrey all right?" "Audrey is fine, well as fine as she can be. They got Noah." Sonny's eyes grew wide. "Oh man, what are we gonna do now?" "This has gone too far. This ends now." Jason answered defiantly.

Audrey was still trying her hardest to get Noah awake. "Noah? Noah, please wake up. Can you hear me? It's Audrey." He started to stir and she felt herself begin to relax tremendously. "Oh, God. Hey, how are you feeling?" He chuckled. "Like they used my head as a baseball bat." He started to sit up and fell back slightly." "Oh, no, here let me help you. Take it easy. Slow, slow, slow." He managed to completely sit up with his back against the wall. "Where are we?" Audrey looked around as she felt tears come to her eyes. She had been so strong but now all she needed was to have a good cry with someone there to wipe her tears away. "I don't…I don't know. Vargas just untied my hands and feet, he's never let me out of the room." Noah's heart broke for the girl in front of him. He wanted to take her in his arms and take all her pain away.

"What? Audrey, I am so sorry that you have to go through this." "Noah, this is not your fault. Or Jason's. It's just part of the package." He lifted his hand and wiped away a few stray tears that had made their way down her face. She looked into his eyes and knew for the first time since she had been taken that everything was going to be okay. "You're amazing. I've never known anyone who is as calm as you. I heard you try and make them let me go. Thank you." She nodded her head. "Have they hurt you?" She smiled a little and shook her head. "No, no. They have scared me half to death but I'm…I'm all right." "Audrey, have they told you what's going on?" "Yeah. Vargas said that he wanted to run Port Charles." Noah thought about her statement. "And when he gets it, they're not going to need us anymore." "My dad will find us, Noah." Audrey felt a little of her hope start to return knowing that she wasn't going to be alone anymore. "Audrey, if we want to make it out of here, we have to come up with a plan."

Jason stood on the docks, waiting for an informant to arrive. "Hey man, this better be good. I don't like being summoned." "Where is my daughter, Audrey Morgan?" "I didn't know you had a daughter." "Try again." Jason was losing his patience with this man. "Man, I'm out of here." The man didn't even get turned around fully before Jason had him lifted by the collar and pinned against the brick wall. "Hey! Maybe I'm not making myself clear. You tell me where my daughter is now.

"Help! He needs help in here! Something wrong with him, he's not breathing." Vargas came strolling into the room as Audrey kept screaming. "You better not have killed him…" "He's not dead." "You better hope nothing happens to him. What did you do to him?" She had tears streaming down her face. "Quit your screaming. He's just unconscious." This wasn't working the way she had hoped. She'd just have to keep yelling at Vargas until he checked Noah. "What if he's not! Check him!" Vargas groaned and rolled his eyes. "Fine." He bent down and felt Noah's fist connect with his face. "Noah…" "Run, Audrey!" She started to run but hesitated and turned back. She saw Vargas on top of Noah. "Get off of him! Leave him alone!" "Audrey, go!" She wanted to get out of there. But she wouldn't leave Noah alone. She ran as fast as she could towards Vargas and shoved him off of Noah with her shoulder. She fell with Vargas and he grabbed her and threw her back against the wall as she let out an ear piercing scream.


	10. I Should've Run

Audrey hit the wall and collapsed. Vargas walked over and knelt down in front of her. His finger was barely a centimeter from her face and his voice was low when he spoke. "You mean more to me alive…for now. Pull another stunt and all bets are off.

Jason pulled his gun out and pointed it at the man's head. "One shot. That's all it takes. Where's Audrey?" The guy froze. The last thing he wanted to do was piss off Jason Morgan. "All right, fine, I'll tell you. M.C." "What is M.C? An office, property? What? Tell me where she is!" The guy started to say something when a shot was heard. The man was hit. Jason pulled him to the ground and listened to his last words. "You'll never…never figure it out." With that being said, the man closed his eyes and died. "No!" Jason pulled himself up and dumped the body into the water. What was he supposed to do now?

Before he had time to think about that, the man who shot Lane was coming after him. He didn't recognize this man but he was assuming it was Vargas since he shot Lane to keep him quiet. It wasn't hard for Jason to get the upper hand in the situation. He punched Vargas once in the nose and watched as he stumbled back. Jason took the opportunity to pull his gun out while Vargas was stumbling backwards. Vargas saw the gun and started to run in the opposite direction when he felt something tear threw him. He looked down and saw the blood. That's when he felt something else tear threw him. He collapsed on the ground and Jason walked over to him standing over him. He hated this man for hurting Audrey. He watched him slowly close his eyes before he pushed him into the water like the other man.

Noah rushed over to Audrey's side. She was lying on the ground with her arm covering her eyes. He gently removed her arm and looked at her. She looked scared. "Audrey, are you okay?" She smiled slightly at him. "I'm fine, but I'm not the one who got hit on an all ready injured head." She sat up and started examining his head. "Don't worry about me. I'm supposed to look after you. I'm fine but you have to promise me you won't fight him again. Your dad will kill me if I let anything happen to you." Audrey knew that he meant that last sentence as a joke but he was probably right. "I should've run. I'm so sorry. I should've run but I thought he was going to kill you. I couldn't let anything happen to you." "No, no it's okay. We'll rest now and come up with a new plan. I'm gonna get you out of here." Audrey didn't know why but she believed him. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her. "I trust you." Noah felt his heart jump at her statement. She trusted him to keep her safe. "Good."

Jason left the docks after dumping the bodies and headed to Sonny's. He needed to give him an update on what was going on. He pulled up on his bike and walked in the door. Sonny was talking to Lainey when he walked in. He was about to excuse himself when he heard Sonny tell Lainey that their session would have to wait. This took priority. Lainey nodded her head and let herself out of the mansion. "What went down on the docks?" Jason shook his head. "I had Lane against the wall, scared enough to say where they took Audrey. Before he could really tell me, someone shot him." "And then came after you?" Jason nodded. "Yeah. When I asked Lane where I could find Audrey, his last words were 'M.C. You'll never figure it out.'"

Sonny contemplated what Jason said. He didn't know what that meant. "M.C.? What does that mean?" Jason started pacing. "I don't know yet. I've got Stan searching every office building and property around here." "Lane and Vargas both gone?" Jason stopped pacing and stared at Sonny. "Yeah. Maybe the only two people who could've lead me to my daughter."


	11. We'll Help Each Other

Jason went back to the docks after he left Sonny's house. He couldn't go home because Sam was there and she was the last person he wanted to see or talk to right now. She pretended that she cared what was happening with Audrey but he saw through her act. Eventually he would need to break things off with her but that was just a headache he didn't want. So instead he went to the place where he first and last saw his daughter's captor alive. He felt helpless. They didn't have anymore leads and he didn't know what else to do. Feeling helpless made him angry so he did the only thing he could think of. He hit the wall.

"Damn it!" "Whoa, Jason, calm down." He jerked his head up. He didn't know anyone else was with him until he heard her voice. He was beginning to calm down just hearing her voice and knowing that she was there. But before he could control it all of his anger came roaring back and etched into his face. "I can't calm down, Courtney. My daughter is being held captive somewhere because of me. It is my job to protect her and I failed." She knew that he was beating himself up over what was going on and she wanted to be there to comfort him. She walked closer to him and pulled him into a hug, surprising him and calming him all at the same time.

"Jase, you are doing everything you can. And from what Carly has told me, Noah is probably with her. He'll keep her safe." Jason pulled back from her slightly and looked her square in her eyes. "She is the most important person in my life. And I'm all she has." Courtney's heart broke for her ex-husband, who she still loved. He was going to break if something happened to his daughter. "I know Jase and we're all worried about her, but she's a fighter. She's your daughter. Trust that she can take care of herself." Jason nodded his head and pulled out of her embrace. "You're right. I'm glad someone is around for me to talk to."

Courtney gave him a look of confusion. "Where is Sam?" Jason chuckled at her question. "At the penthouse. She's not trying to help find Audrey. She doesn't like her." Courtney knew she hated that woman for a reason. Whether she liked his daughter or not, Audrey was still his daughter and she was going to be around forever. "That doesn't matter, Jase. If she really loves you, she'll try with Audrey and she should be supportive. Let her go Jase. Audrey is more important." She couldn't help the anger that was seeping out of her words.

Jason thought back to the conversation he had with Audrey and Sam about Courtney. He knew that Audrey and Courtney would get along well. "Yeah. I gotta go. When Audrey comes home though, you have to meet her. I know she wants to meet you." Courtney was touched. "Of course. I would love to meet her." He started to walk away when she heard her voice again. "Jase, I'm here if you need me." He smiled and nodded at her before continuing up the steps.

After leaving the docks Jason went to find Jax. He found him sitting at the bar in the MetroCourt with Carly. He didn't like that they were together but he would have to do something about that later. Jax looked over at Jason when he walked off of the elevator. "Good Lord, what are you doing here?" Carly glared at Jax. She knew they didn't like each other but they would have to get along for her sake. Jason walked up to the couple and kept his eyes glued to Jax. He never once looked at Carly. "We need to talk."

Noah was sitting on the cot with Audrey's head in his lap. He hadn't slept all night. He felt her begin to stir before she started thrashing in her sleep. She was having a nightmare. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms before gently shaking her awake whispering words of comfort in her ear as he did. "Hey, her it's okay. It was just a dream. You're okay." She opened her eyes and focused on his face. "Noah, how long have I been asleep?" She sat up with her legs crossed and faced him. "Pretty much all night." She nodded. "This was the first night I've slept since I've been here. Has Vargas been back yet?" He hadn't come in since she tried to escape and she was starting to worry. He was always so good about coming in hourly and checking on her. Now, he hadn't been back in, well she didn't really know how long.

"No." Audrey felt herself start to panic. "What? Are you sure cause he…" Noah cut her off. "I was up all night, I'm sure." "He's never been gone this long. He's usually in here every hour." Noah didn't know what to think. He had only seen him once since he'd been there so he didn't know what was typical. Audrey, however, did. "Maybe he all ready got what he wanted. Or he doesn't want to risk putting you on the phone again." Audrey shook her head violently. "No, no, no, this doesn't make sense. Either Jason gave him what he wanted and he doesn't need us anymore or…or something bad has happened." "Like what?" "Like maybe Vargas is dead." Noah was starting to think the same thing but he didn't want to let on. He had to keep Audrey calm.

"Audrey, there are tons of reasons why he hasn't come back. Maybe he had something else to do, someone else to kidnap." Audrey was in full panic mode now. She flew off the bed and started pacing around the room. Noah was getting dizzy watching her. "Noah, the whole time I've been here, I have seen one person. And now he's stopped coming. Nobody knows where we are! I don't even know where we are!"

Jason looked at Carly now then back at Jax. "I need to see you alone." Jax looked at Carly and then followed Jason onto the terrace. "I assume this isn't a social call since, well…you're anti-social. Has someone been hurt or is someone about to be?" Jason ignored his comment. "This is about the MetroCourt." Jax was now confused. "What about it?" "I need a blue-print of the entire building along with a list of everyone you've ever worked with." Jax was now curious about what Jason needed this information for. "Whoa, that's a pretty big favor. Why should I do this for you?" Jason was starting to lose his patience. He didn't have time to explain. "Because an innocent person can get hurt if I don't get what I need." "Sine when do you care about innocent people?" Jason lost his patience and started yelling at Jax. "Since the person is my daughter, now are you going to help me voluntarily or am I going to have to make you?" Jax conceded. "All right, Morgan, you'll get what you need."

Noah stood up and walked over to Audrey, and stopped her in her tracks. He held her arms and turned her towards him. "Don't panic, Audrey. We are not going to die in here. Jason is searching for us and he won't give up and neither will Sonny. All we have to do is wait." Audrey couldn't hold the tears that were brimming in her eyes. "I'm trying. I really am. I just…I feel like I'm buried alive." Noah wiped away some of the stray tears that made their way down her cheeks. "Hey, hey, hey, don't think about dying in here, okay? Think about getting out of here and living your life." Audrey let out a cynical laugh. "Be realistic, Noah. I've been in here way too long to be optimistic." She was starting to break and there was nothing Noah could do to stop it. But he had to try.

"That's what they want, Audrey, to break your spirit. Don't let them beat you. You have way to much too much to live for to give up now. You're too young, too smart, and too beautiful to die in here. You're gonna get out of here and do amazing things and make lots of money and live in a big beautiful house." Audrey gave him a weak smile. "Yeah, well, right now I'd settle for my dad's bulletproof penthouse. "That's a pretty nice penthouse." "Yeah, compared to this." Noah dropped his head. "Don't think about being in here." He lifted it again and looked right into her eyes. He could see that they were losing their shine. "Just keep yourself distracted, all right. Now get to work on that list?" Audrey looked at him confused. "What list would that be?" "The list of amazing things you're gonna do when you get out of here."

Audrey couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, like backpack through Europe, sail around the world, put on a concert in Time's Square. That list?" She smiled at him and he smiled back. "You have something better to do?" She opened her mouth before quickly closing it and blowing out a breath. "No. All right, all right. I'll do it if…" she paused and looked at Noah. "…if you help me." "We'll help each other." Audrey smiled. "Deal."


	12. Breaking Point

Max walked into Jason's penthouse to give him an update on Audrey. "No one has called. They could be trying to keep you in suspense." Jason didn't like this. Someone had been calling him every hour for the past few days. "Yeah, or no one is left alive to make the phone call. And if that's the case then Audrey is trapped where they're holding her. All right this is the blueprint and list of the MetroCourt. We need to search the whole building. Put everyone on it." "Right away, boss." As soon as Jason heard the door close he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sonny's number. "Sonny, yeah, no, I got a list of everyone who's ever come in contact with the MetroCourt and the blueprints of the entire property. I've got everyone searching the grounds. I have to call you back."

Jason saw Sam walk down the stairs to the penthouse. He hadn't talked to her in days. "I can't talk now. I'm waiting for a call." Sam's face fell. "Jason what's wrong?" She walked towards him but he backed away. "It's not your problem." Sam's heart was starting to break. "Yes, it is. Because I love you." "Sam I can't do this now. I don't want to say something we might regret later." "Jase…" "He said not now Sam." Sam looked towards the door and felt her blood boil. They really needed to lock the door. "Carly, mind your own damn business." "No, Sam, she's right. Just go upstairs." Sam looked at Carly and then back at Jason before nodding and walking up the stairs.

Carly made sure she heard the door slam before she started talking. "Are you any closer to finding Audrey?" Jason sighed and shook his head. "No." Carly walked over to him and started rubbing his arm. "You will Jase." She looked at her watch and squealed. "I have to go pick up the boys. Stay strong for her. I love you." Jason watched Carly leave before walking over to the couch and sitting down. He put his head in his hands as he prayed for the first time in his life for God to keep his daughter safe.

Audrey and Noah sat in the room staring blankly at the walls before Audrey broke the all-consuming silence. "Now that I have some distance on it, I think I'm ready to have a relationship with Jason." "That's great Audrey." Noah was genuinely happy for her. He knew that she was lonely and needed someone who would be there for her. And who better than her father? "Jason has been amazing to me since he found out he was my father and I know he's been looking for me non-stop. I need him in my life." She paused. "I could live without Sam though." Noah couldn't help but chuckle. He knew the feeling was mutual. "If you talked to him about her, he'd probably let her go." Audrey thought about his comment. That would be nice. But she wouldn't be the cause of her father's unhappiness. "You know, I'm sure he would but he loves her so much. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of that just like I wouldn't want him to stand in my way." "I don't want him to stand in your way either." Audrey knew what he meant when he said that and she felt the same way.

"Thank you." Noah looked over at her with a puzzled look on his face. "For what?" "For distracting me. Or, no, wait…for you helping me distract myself. Thinking about the future. But, I've noticed that you've completely steered the conversation away from you. You do that a lot. Who are you, really?"

Jason was just on his way out of his penthouse when he ran into Alexis. That was one of the negatives about dating Sam, he saw way too much of Alexis. He started to walk past her but she stopped him. "What do you want? I'm in a hurry." She smirked at him. "I bet. I've got some information that might shed a little light on why you're in such a hurry. We pulled Lane's cell phone records and found that he called a cell phone ten times…ten…whose cell phone do you think this was?" She waited for him to answer, although she knew he wouldn't. "What's going on?" "You know I don't talk without my lawyer." He turned to walk away again. "I heard about your daughter. Does it have anything to do with her?" He stopped dead in his tracks.

Noah watched Audrey stand in the corner of the room just staring at the wall. She sighed. "I wonder…I wonder how many days we've gone without food or…and water." He stood up and walked over to her, turning her around to face him. She was looking down so he put his finger under her chin and lifted her face up so she was looking in his eyes. "Hey, don't…think about something else, okay?" "How?" "I'll help you. Close your eyes." She tilted her head and looked at him. "Do it." She closed her eyes. "Okay, visualize the ocean. Perfect blue sky, clear, warm water, white sand beach. The sun warming your skin." "California. Where you grew up?" She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Yeah. I spent more time outside than in, swimming and surfing." She was envious of him. "I want to learn how to surf." His heart quickened at the thought of being able to teach her how to surf. "When we get out of here, I'll teach you." She smiled at him. "I'm looking forward to it."

Alexis knew she hit a sensitive spot with Jason so she kept going. "You know, your daughter is missing and the only thing you can do is stonewall? Let me tell you what I think happened. Lane and or somebody wanted something from you and Sonny, but I'm figuring they wanted you out of the way so they took Audrey instead of Michael, Morgan, or God forbid Kristina or Sam. So you've got guys combing the entire city looking for her and so far you've come up with squat. How am I doing so far?" Jason looked down at her. "Oh, you're a genius. Are we finished?" "You're free to go." "Great." He started to leave when she again said something to stop him dead in his tracks. "I can find her." Jason turned around. "I have the police department and all its resources at my disposal and you're running out of time." "Why would you want to help me?" "I wouldn't, but I have a soft spot for people who have no choice but to be in your life, especially kids who didn't ask for it. I would hate to find Audrey dead because of you." Jason didn't want to hear another word from her so he slammed the button for the elevator and stepped on without looking back. Alexis sighed and walked in his penthouse to find Sam.

Audrey wanted to know all about Noah and his childhood. "Did you live close to the ocean?" "Yeah, like I said I spent more time outside than in. The best part about the beach was that any problem you had would melt away with the sun or drown out with the waves. It was peaceful." "It sounds wonderful. I've never been to the beach. Hell, I barely saw any water that wasn't bath or dish water. We never got to go anywhere because of my step-dad. He didn't like the outdoors." Noah was floored. He thought everyone had been to the beach. "Wow, then I'll have to take you to the beach and teach you how to surf. You'll love it." "Especially if I'm there with you."

Jason was pissed when he finally got to Sonny's. He burst in on Sonny and Ric. Ric was the last person that Jason wanted to see so he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him out the door before slamming it. Sonny watched this in amusement as he got himself and Jason a drink. Jason took it and downed it in one drink. "I thought…I thought I had a clue. M.C. I just…I figured that maybe she was being held in the MetroCourt but we searched every inch of the hotel." Jason stopped pacing and thought for a moment. Sonny stared at him confused, waiting for him to say what he was thinking about. "Wait a minute…wait a minute. Maybe M.C. isn't a building. Maybe it's someone's initials. Sonny didn't know anyone in the business with those initials. "Whose could they be?" "I don't know. But I'll have Stan start looking right away for everything and everyone with the initials M.C."

"I can't remember how many days I've been in here." Audrey was starting to lose it. She was at her breaking point and it wouldn't take much to push her over the edge. "That's probably for the best." She blew out a deep breath and looked at Noah. They were sitting on the cot with their back against the wall. "I really am glad that you're here with me. And not because I just didn't want to be alone but because it's you." She looked over at him and found him starting at her. She blushed under his stare. "What?" "I don't want to die without kissing you."


	13. Saved

Audrey looked at Noah's mouth then back to his eyes. She had been waiting for this and couldn't believe it was actually happening. Noah slowly leaned closer capturing her lips in a sensual kiss. It spoke every feeling that they felt for each other. They started to deepen the kiss and Noah leaned Audrey back onto the floor. "Want me to stop?" Audrey shook her head. "No." "Good, me neither." Noah leaned back down and started to kiss her again. He made her way down her neck as she noticed something off about the wall. "Noah, look."

Stan walked into Jason's penthouse and was immediately jumped on. "Did you find anything?" Stan shook his head. "Nothing." Jason spun around. "Damn it! Maybe M.C. has nothing to do with Jax. Run a list of everyone with the initials M.C." "Got it." "Call me when you get the list." Stan took that as his cue and left Jason alone in his penthouse."

Audrey quickly pushed Noah off of her and went to inspect the wall. "Noah, Noah look at the wall." Noah crawled over to where she was and noticed a pipe sticking out of it. "It could be an exterior wall." Audrey started to regain her hope. "If we can get through this, we may be able to get out of here." She started pulling at the pipe and trying to loosen it but she wasn't getting far. "I can't…" Noah gently pushed her out of the way. "Wait, let me try." He used all his strength to get the pipe to budge. Slowly but surely the pipe was moving. "It's working! Noah, it's working! Oh my God!" She smiled the most genuine smile he'd seen since they'd been there. Audrey got off the floor and started pacing around the room rambling about what she was going to do when they got out of there. "Oh, the first thing I'm gonna do when we get out of here is go to Kelly's. I can almost taste the Monte Carlo! Oh, I can't wait."

Noah chuckled as he continued working on the pipe. "Give me a real mean. I'm talking about a prime rib. No, I'm talking about sticking my head under a faucet for about an hour." Audrey was getting anxious. "Hurry up! Dig faster." As soon as she said that something started pouring out of the pipe. "Oh, my God…water! It's water!" Noah looked up at her. "Thank God." Audrey rushed over to him and shoved him out of the way. "Noah, move. No, no, no, the pipe is empty." They stood up, disappointed, when they heard something start hissing. Noah's face fell as he looked at Audrey. "It's gas." Audrey's eyes widened. "Oh, my God." "We broke open a gas pipe."

Audrey ran her hands furiously through her hair. "I am so stupid! How could I…" Noah cut her off. "Don't say that. Don't say that." "Noah! I broke open a gas pipe! I didn't even think about what could be in it!" He knew they had both made a mistake in messing with the pipe and if they didn't get out of there soon, they were going to die. "Audrey, I didn't try to stop you." She looked past him at the pipe. "Oh, God, the gas is still leaking." Noah had to think of something quick He took his shirt off and handed it to her. "Okay, uh…let me try this. Here…here put this over your mouth." She did as she was told and prayed that Noah would be able to save them.

Stan came back a while later with the list of names for Jason. "Did you find anything?" They walked over to the couch and sat down. "Okay, I had all out contacts run M.C. Last names beginning with C, nicknames, anything I could think of." Jason pushed him along. "And? And!" "I came up with two guys and neither of them had anything to do with Escobar, Alcazar, Ruiz, or Vargas. I'm sorry." "Oh, man. Sonny's list was a dead end too. Stan is that it?" Jason was desperate. He needed this lead to take him somewhere. "Well, there was Michelle Cole. She had a bunch of property, including a cellar, but she died five years ago."

Noah was trying anything he could think of to get the gas to stop but nothing was working. "Damn it! The gas is still coming out. Okay, it's all right, maybe we can…" He noticed the lack of movement and worrying coming from Audrey. "Audrey?" Nothing. He looked over towards her and found her sprawled out on the ground. "Oh, my God. Audrey? Audrey? Come on, Audrey." He lifted her head and put it in his lap and started brushing her hair away from her face. She wasn't coming too. The only thing he could hear was the sound of the gas hissing. "Oh, God." He coughs. "Come on, come on. Come on."

As soon as Jason heard the word cellar he knew he had found Audrey. "What do you know about Michelle Cole?" Stan searched through his papers. "Daughter of a major player in Miami. Fell in love with a guy and moved here." "Okay. Where's the cellar?" "I…a lake house out on Elm Street." That's all Jason needed to hear. He was out the door before Stan could give him the actual address.

Jason sped through town on his way out to Elm Street. Before he knew it he was pulling up to the estate. He quietly made his way towards the cellar. "Drop the crow bar, put your hands up." Jason cursed himself for not being sneakier. He turned to face the guard. "I'm not here to cause trouble. Somebody needs my help." The guard was weary of Jason. "I don't hear anyone." Jason shook his head. "I think there's a girl trapped in the cellar. Just open it up. If she's not there you can call the police. Ask for Lucky Spencer or Alexis Davis." He started to make his way to the cellar again. "Why don't I just call him now?" Jason lost his temper. "Listen to me! If she is inside, she's been in there for days. Just, please check the cellar." Something Jason said must have worked because the guard walked over and unlocked the doors.

Jason ran inside his eyes immediately finding Audrey on the floor. "Audrey! Come on. Audrey!" He grabbed her, not even noticing Noah and ran outside with her. "Oh, God. Come on, Audrey! Audrey!" Sonny came running up to Jason and Audrey. Stan had called him as soon as Jason walked out of the penthouse and told him where to go. Sonny called both Carly and Courtney to let them know that Jason had probably found Audrey. "Jason, what are you waiting for?" Jason looked over towards the cellar. "I think there's a gas leak. I can't fire. One spark and this place will explode." He looked back down to his daughter in his arms as he tried to revive her. "Come on. Come on, come on, come on."


	14. Where is he?

Sonny pulled out his cell phone and called 911. "We need an ambulance now! There's a gas line on Elm Street that was ruptured. There's also a gas leak in a cellar and a girl is trapped inside. I…I said there is a nineteen year old girl trapped inside. This thing is going to blow! Can you…well, I don't hear any sirens! We just…I tell you what, why don't you just tell them there's a crime in progress involving Sonny Corinthos. They'll be here in three seconds, I guarantee that." He slammed his phone shut and looked over at Jason who was still trying to wake Audrey up. While Jason was preoccupied, Sonny decided to call Stan. "Stan? Listen I need the gas line running under the cellar to be shut off right…" "Got it. I got it." "Okay, yeah."

Sonny hung up the phone and turned around as a ball of fire came flying out of the cellar. Sonny looked horrified as he searched for where Jason had Audrey. They weren't far from the cellar. Sonny ran over to them to make sure they were okay. "Sonny, she's alive! She's still breathing. Audrey!" They heard sirens in the distance and both relaxed a little bit. "Audrey?" "About damn time." Sonny said in regards to the ambulances and fire trucks. "Audrey, come on." "It's a miracle she's still alive with all that gas." Jason looked up at Sonny. "In another minute she wouldn't have been." He then refocused his attention back on trying to wake his daughter. "Audrey." He shook her to try and wake her up. The heard the sirens getting closer.

"Come on Audrey. Come on, just breathe. Just open your eyes for me." She started to come too. She slowly started to open her eyes. "Hold on it's okay." "Dad?" Jason felt himself relax immensely. She was awake but she wasn't out of the woods just yet. "I'm right here. You're safe." "Noah. Where's Noah?" Jason and Sonny looked at each other. "Wait, Noah was in there with you?" "Where is he?" Sonny stepped up. "I'll go." Audrey was getting worried. "Where is he, Dad? Where is he?" Jason took her in his arms and rocked her wishing he could make all of this go away. "Shh, it's okay."

Jason pulled back a little bit. "Are you okay?" She nodded. "Yeah, I think so." "All right, stay here." He laid her on the ground and started to walk away. "Dad, Dad, wait! Please find Noah for me. Please." Jason's heart broke at her pleas. Sonny came back and stood behind Jason. She started to get up but Jason quickly stopped her. "No, no, no, no. You stay here." Audrey started to argue with him. "No, I have to find Noah." Jason wasn't going to back down on this. "Audrey, you can't even walk. Just stay here." "Jason, let me go with you. I…" "You're wasting time. Just go. G." Audrey glared at Sonny and then started coughing because she was getting so worked up.

"You think he's dead. You think he's dead and you don't want me to see him. "Audrey…" Audrey's chest suddenly felt heavy. "Oh, my God…" "Jason, your dad, will find him. Don't worry about it. He's going to find Noah." Just then Jason came back with a somber look on his face. "Dad, Dad did you find him? Is he okay?" "Noah's alive but I don't want to move him. He needs to go to the hospital." The ambulance pulled into the driveway and Jason walked over to talk to them about Noah.

"What's taking so long?" Audrey was starting to lose her patience. "You heard Jason. Noah's alive. He's going to be okay." Audrey looked over at him with tears on the edge of falling. "What if he's not? Okay you don't understand. Noah kept me calm in there. I have to find him." Audrey tried pulling herself off the ground but lost her balance. Sonny caught her before she could hit the ground. "No, no, no. You are in no shape…sit down! You are in no shape to help." Audrey couldn't help but cry at that moment. She wanted so badly for Noah to walk out of there and over to her. Her crying, however, caused her to have a coughing fit.

In the middle of Audrey's coughing fit Lucky walked over to where she and Sonny were sitting. "Sonny? Audrey, are you all right?" She looked up at him. "Yeah." "Sonny, what's going on here? 911 said you were involved." Sonny pointed to the cellar. "In there. A kid is trapped. There was an explosion. He's with Jason." Audrey looked up at Lucky and tried pleading with him to help Noah. "Oh, please…" Lucky cut her off though. "Kid? What kid? What kid!" "Noah, it's Noah. He was locked in there with me. You have to go." "Noah? All right, Sonny, that's it. I want to know what is going on and I want to know now."

Jason was talking to the paramedic about Noah's condition. "Still breathing, but his pulse is weak." "Okay, thanks a lot. We can take it from here." Audrey was standing behind them, listening to everything they were saying about Noah. The paramedic walked away and Audrey walked up to Jason. "Jason…Dad. Is Noah okay? Did he say anything?" Jason looked down at his daughter. "No, sweetie, he's still unconscious, but they're working on him." Jason put his arm around Audrey's shoulder and led her back to where Sonny and Lucky were talking.

"I'm going to need statements, starting with you, Audrey." Sonny spoke up before Jason could. "Back off, Lucky. She's been through enough. She doesn't need this right now." "Yeah, whose fault is that, huh?" "Lucky, please. I need t know what's happening with Noah." "Okay, okay. Let's go, okay?" Jason turned his daughter around and helped her back over to where the paramedics where working on Noah. "I'll get the board." "He's still unconscious." Audrey listened to the paramedics, not believing that this was happening. Two hours ago, Noah are her were kissing, and now he was fighting for his life.

She walked over to the stretcher and rubber his forehead. "Noah? Noah, please wake up. Please wake up for me." Audrey coughs. Sonny and Lucky had walked up and they were all staring at her interaction with Noah. Audrey looked over at Jason. "I want to go with him in the ambulance, okay?" Before Jason could respond, Lucky stepped up and began talking to her. "Listen, Audrey. They need to get him to the hospital now, all right, and I need to ask you a few questions. Then I'll personally take you over there." Audrey stopped rubbing Noah's forehead and turned towards Lucky. "I don't know anything, okay, except that I was locked in the dark for God knows how long, and Noah was the only thing that got me through, okay?" Lucky felt sorry for her. She didn't need to be mixed up in Corinthos and Morgan's life. "Okay, I know, I know. And I'm sorry but I need…" Jason couldn't take Lucky badgering his daughter. "Leave her alone, Lucky. Do NOT upset her!"

Lucky spun around to face Jason. "She was kidnapped! Two guys are dead. I need to know what she knows." Audrey all of a sudden blew up. "Nothing! Nothing, except some guy drugged me and dragged me out of my father's penthouse. I woke up here and only saw one guy." "Did he say why he kidnapped you? I mean what did he want from Corinthos and Morgan?" Audrey started to answer him but started coughing instead. Jason was at her side immediately. "That's enough. I'm taking her to the hospital." "No, you're not taking her anywhere, all right? She is a material witness and she doesn't need you clouding her memory." Audrey just wanted to get to Noah so she tried bargaining with Lucky. "All right. I will tell you everything one I make sure Noah is okay, all right?" She pulled her hand to her head as she started to sway and get dizzy. "Ouch, my head!" Jason put his hand on her back to steady her as he shot daggers at Lucky.

Lucky finally backed down. "All right. Fine." Sonny, after being quiet for quite some time, finally spoke back up. "She needs medical attention, Lucky, not the third degree from you." "Fine. Go." Jason, Audrey, and Sonny all started to walk away when Lucky stopped Sonny. Sonny nodded for Jason to go ahead so he put Audrey in the car and took her to the hospital. Sonny turned his attention back to the cop that was standing a little too close to him. "I'll follow you to the hospital, and then I need to interview you and I need to interview Morgan." Sonny gave him a cocky smile. "You want to know how we found her, how we saved her, while you and the PCPD were useless like always?" "No, you want to know what I want to know? How an innocent little girl like her got stuck with Jason as a father. She's leverage against Jason and we both know he doesn't even breathe without you telling him too. What are you into, huh? What has got somebody so desperate that they would kidnap an innocent kid just to have you back off? I want to know that!"

Sonny just stared at Lucky through his rant. He rubbed his chin when Lucky stopped talking before he answered. "As far as I know, the man who did this to her is head. So, you know who cares? It's over." "No." "No?" Sonny put his hands on his hips. "No, it's not over until you've stopped breathing."


	15. Thank You For Saving Me

Audrey was sitting in the waiting area of the hospital after she got checked out. She wanted to go in to see Noah but Patrick Drake wouldn't let her just yet. "No visitors right now. Noah just got back from hyperbaric. I've got blood gases and neurological studies to evaluate, so it's going to be a few minutes." He walked away and Audrey looked up towards Jason. "I would like to wait." He hesitated. "You know, you should be resting." She looked at him like he was insane. "All right, I'll wheel you around." He started to walk around with her. "I could take you up to your room and come get you as soon as Noah wakes up."

Audrey wasn't listening to what Jason was saying. She was lost in her own thoughts. "Thank you for saving my life. I kept telling myself that you wouldn't give up and I was right." "I'm just sorry it took so long. I'm sorry it happened at all." Audrey put her hand on his so he would stop pushing her. She turned around in the wheelchair and looked up at him. "You don't have to apologize. It's just a part of being your daughter and I wouldn't change that for the world. You know, when I blacked out in the cellar, I felt like I couldn't breathe and I was choking on the gas. I honestly thought that I was going to die. But when I woke up in the fresh air and I saw you, I knew I was safe." "I'm so glad that you're okay." "Me too. Look, Jason, I feel like…" She started to tell him how sorry she was for how she had been acting but Patrick Drake walked up to them.

"You can go in now." Audrey felt her heart speed up. "How is he?" "Well, it's going to take some recovery time, but he's going to be okay if he takes it easy and gets a better group of friends." Patrick looked at Jason before walking away. Audrey looked up towards Jason. "Will you take me in?" He nodded and began wheeling her in. He pushed her up to the side of his bed and left the room, closing the door behind him. "Noah? Hey." Noah started to stir and turned his head towards the voice. "Hey you. We made it out. Good." Audrey felt tears brimming her eyes. "Yeah, Jason found us." She looked down at her hands before looking back up at him. "I wouldn't have made it without you." Noah shrugged it off. "We helped each other. It was no big deal." "It was a huge deal, Noah! You kept me alive and sane in there! You'll never know what you mean to me." Noah looked at Audrey square in her eyes. "Actually, I think I do. Because you mean the same to me."

Audrey's face lit up at his admission. She got out of her chair and sat on the edge of his bed taking his hand in hers. "Noah, you became a part of me in that cellar. I don't want to be without you anymore. Whether my dad agrees with this or not, I want to be with you. It's you and me." Noah released her hand and traced her cheek with his finger. "You and me." She kissed his hand and noticed his eyes starting to droop. "Well, you need some rest. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Noah." She sat back in her chair and called for Jason to come and take her back to her room.

The next day Jason came by to visit Audrey. He walked into her room and was surprised at the amount of flowers she had. She hadn't been in town that long; she didn't really know that many people. She looked up when she heard her door open. "Hey, you." He smiled at her. "Hey yourself. You want some company?" She smiled back at him. "Only if it's you." "You're pretty popular. You got a lot of flowers." Her smiled widened. "Oh, I know, tell me about it. It's like somebody died. I've got some from…" She read the names as she looked at the different cards. "Carly, Courtney and Sonny." Jason was surprised when he heard Courtney's name. She didn't even Audrey. It just showed how amazing and caring she was.

"Yeah, well people were worried. They're glad you're okay. So am I." "I'm better than okay. It just feels so incredible to be home." She tilted her head to the side. "Well, not home, but out of that cellar. This hospital room feels like a suite compared to being locked up for…you know…I'm still not sure how many days I was gone." All of a sudden her sunny disposition changed. She seemed sad. Jason got concerned. "What's wrong?" "Nothing. Nothing." She shook her head. Jason looked down at her. "Don't say nothing. Stop doing that with me." She looked up at him innocently. "Doing what?" "Being…you know, bright, cheerful, like I'm not supposed to be able to tell something's wrong." She smiled to herself. She couldn't believe that they had just barely met and he knew her so well.

"You know, I forget that even though we just met you can see right through me." "Tell me." She sighed and gathered her thoughts before she started. "I just…I had really terrible nightmares last night. I was back in that cellar and it was closing in one me. I was screaming for help and you walked in the room but you wouldn't help me. You just stared at me. And then the room closed in on me and I was at my funeral and that's where all these flowers came from. It just seemed so real, you know? I woke up screaming." She laughed it off like the whole thing was stupid but he stopped her. "Okay, first of all, I'm no expert on dreams. I don't understand where they come from much less what they mean, but I do know they're not real. They can't hurt you. And it makes sense that you would dream about what happened because you just got out. Do you…do you want me to get rid of the flowers?"

She shook her head violently. "No, Dad. No that would…that would be rude." He was worried that the flowers would bother her. He wanted her to be comfortable, he didn't want her to grin and bear something that made her nervous. "Being polite is more important than having peace?" "No, but I need to face my fears. I need to be okay again and this is how. And you. Having you around and a part of my life is something I want and need." Jason stared at her in amazement. She was so strong. She reminded him a lot of Courtney. He chastised himself. He needed to stop thinking about Courtney. He was with Sam. He shook those thoughts out of his head and focused on her wanting to be in his life.

"Well, you might not anymore." Audrey looked at him confused. "Why?" Jason looked down at his hands. "Because I'm the reason you almost died. I mean, men you don't even know broke into the "safe" penthouse and kidnapped you to get to me. And I can't guarantee that it won't happen again. I promised I would protect you and I failed." Audrey understood where he was coming from but she just found her father and she wasn't going to lose him again. "I'm going to be honest with you." He chuckled. "I expect that." "There were times in that cellar that I wished I'd never met you. It seemed like such a stupid and pointless reason to die." Jason cut her off. "It is, and that's my point." He sighed. "I'm sorry. Go on." She nodded. "Thank you. The other side to that is that I held on as long as I did because of you. I knew that you wouldn't stop looking for me, that you would keep going until you found me. My faith in you was unshakable and justified."

She never ceased to amaze him. She had handled this all remarkably and she didn't blame him or hate him for anything that happened to her. "When I got to you, you were almost dead and I don't want that to ever happen again." Audrey smiled at him. "Yeah, me neither." They were silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Dad? Thank you for saving me." "Thanks for hanging in there until I could get to you." He walked over and hugged her but a knock on the door interrupted them.

Courtney peeked her head in the door. "Knock, knock." Jason and Audrey both look over at her. Jason's eyes light up when he sees her. "Hi, Jason." "Hi." She smiled at him before turning her attention to Audrey. "Audrey, I know we haven't met yet but I'm really glad you're safe and you're home. And I know that I always liked looking at pretty things after being kidnapped so I thought I would send you some flowers." Audrey smiled at Courtney. She liked her all ready. This is the type of woman that her father should be with. Not that tramp Sam who hadn't even been to the hospital since she'd been checked in.

"Thank you. They are beautiful." She looked over at the flowers and then back at Courtney. "It's really nice to meet you Courtney." Courtney's face lit up. This girl was so sweet. "It's so nice to meet you too." She looked down at her watch and hesitated before she spoke again. "Well, I'm sorry to cut this short but I have to go. Audrey, call me when you get out of here and get settled and we'll grab some lunch." She smiles at Audrey before she looks over at Jason. "I'll see you around, Jase." She turns and walks out and Jason quickly follows. Audrey smiles knowing that her father loves her more than anything. He loves her just as much now and he did when they were married. It was only a matter of time.

Jason got into the hall and called out to Courtney. "Courtney!" She turned around with that smile that lights up her whole face. "Yeah?" He walked up to her. "Thank you for the flowers and for coming to see her. You've been amazing through this whole thing and I can't thank you enough." "Jason, you don't have to thank me. You needed me and I would do anything for you. Don't you know that?" He thought about all the times that she had pulled through for him. "I used too. I'm learning again."


	16. I Never Stopped Loving You

Courtney looked down. "Jason, I know that we ended badly and there was a lot of hurt and anger between us but that doesn't mean that I don't still care about you or that I would ever let you down when you needed me. And I'm hoping that that we can start to repair our relationship." Jason didn't know what came over him but before he knew what he was doing he grabbed Courtney's waist and pulled her to him, his lips crashing down onto hers. Courtney kissed him back with everything she had. They pulled back and Jason rested his forehead against hers.

"I never should have let you go. You'll pulled through for me and been there for me when I needed you the most. I haven't done the same for you but from now on I'm going to be around for you. Our relationship may not have been perfect but it was everything I ever needed. You are everything I've ever needed." Courtney felt tears coming to her eyes. She cupped his face and looked at him lovingly. "Oh Jason, I never gave up hope that we would find our way back to each other. I never stopped loving you." They kissed again, this time sensually, silently telling each other everything that words never could.

Sam stepped off the elevator and made her way to Audrey's room. She rounded the corner and felt her heart stop. There was Jason, the love of her life, kissing Courtney, the love of his. She always had a feeling this day would come but it didn't make the pain any less. She looked around the hospital before turning around and getting back onto the elevator. She didn't know what she was going to do but she did know that she wasn't letting Jason go easily.

Jason and Courtney pulled away from each other. "I never stopped loving you either." Courtney smiled. That smile made his heart melt. "Okay, now I really don't want to leave but I have a meeting for my foundation. When will I see you again?" Jason thought for a moment. "I don't know. I have to talk to Sam and get Audrey settled. I…" Courtney cut him off. "Do you still love Sam?" "No. I didn't know that I could fall out of love with someone so quickly. Because I never fell out of love with you. But when Audrey was gone and she didn't even care, everything changed for me. And then there was you, who kept showing up just when I needed you. I realized then that Sam was never a comparison to you and if I could have you back, then I would in a heart beat." Jason pulled Courtney into a hug. "I'll see you as soon as I can. I promise." "Okay, bye Jason." She kissed him on the cheek and left.

Jason stood there watching her until she disappeared before turning and walking back into Audrey's room. Audrey smiled widely when Jason walked in the room. "How are things with you and Courtney?" Jason smiled. Even though they may not have spent much time together, Audrey was just like Carly. Only he wanted to be honest with Audrey and let her in on his personal life. "Better than they've been in a couple years. I've really missed her." If it was possible Jason thought that Audrey's smile grew even wider. "Oh, so do I sense a second wedding?" "Don't get ahead of yourself. We're working on it."

Audrey clapped her hands together. "Yay! I finally get to witness the great love that is Jason and Courtney. And you're finally coming to your senses about Sam." "Yeah, yeah, you should focus less on my love and life and more on…" "My own." Jason was surprised. "No, that's not what I was going to say. I was going to say getting better. What love life are you talking about?" Audrey took in a deep breath and tried to sort through her thoughts. Jason sensed that this was important so he took a seat and let her take her time. "Dad, there's something I need to tell you." "What is it?" "I uh, something happened when I was in that cellar." Jason started to get worried. "What? What happened are you…" "I'm fine. I just…" Before she could tell him about Noah, Sonny knocked on the door.

Audrey cursed under her breath and looked up at Sonny. "Hey. It's good to see you're okay." Audrey smiled. "Hey, Sonny. Thank you for the flowers. I love them." "Yeah, well, you needed something to brighten up this room." "Did you come to steal my dad away?" Sonny chuckled. "No, actually I came to see you. And Noah." Jason turned his attentions towards Jason. "Jason, have you seen him yet?" "Just for a second." "Well, why don't you go talk to him? I'll stay with Audrey." Jason nodded and walked out of the room. Sonny took the seat that Jason was occupying. "So, how are you feeling?" "Good. A little antsy. I want to go home." Sonny nodded. "I know. It won't be long now." Audrey bit her bottom lip and looked over at Sonny. "Sonny, can I talk to you about something?" "Of course." She sat up in her bed. "Something happened in that cellar. Something between me and Noah." Sonny knew that was going to happen. He also knew where Jason stood on that issue.

"I care about him, Sonny. There's been something between us since we first looked into each other's eyes." Sonny finished her thoughts. "But Jason doesn't want you to be together." "Exactly. And I love my father and I want a relationship with him but I'm not going to let him run my personal life. I want to be with Noah." Sonny laughed. He knew this situation all too well. Audrey didn't know what was so funny. "What?" "This is all too familiar." "How so?" "When your father started dating my sister I flipped out. I hated the idea of Courtney being in this life. I made Jason break my sister's heart. They didn't stay apart long. When they got back together I considered it the ultimate betrayal. But eventually I saw how much they loved each other and how good they were together and I gave them my blessing. But me and Courtney were on the outs for a long time. She fought me tooth and nail to be with Jason." Audrey took all this information in. _So her father was being a hypocrite? If he knew how she felt then why wouldn't he let her be with Noah?_ Sonny brought her out of her thoughts. "Have you told him yet?" Audrey shook her head. "No." "You need to tell him and if he doesn't agree with it, I'll talk to him." "Thank you, Sonny." "You're welcome." Just then Jason walked back into the room. "I should get going." "Bye, Sonny. And thank you again." "Don't mention it."

Jason walked further into the room and stood at the foot of her bed. "What are you thanking Sonny for?" Audrey took a deep breath and blew it out. "Dad, you need to sit down. There's something I need to tell you about me and Noah."


	17. I Don't Want To Have To Choose

Jason did as he was told and pulled the stool up to Audrey's bed. Audrey watched Jason walk around her bed and pull the stool close to her bed. She didn't know what she was going to tell him. She didn't want him to be mad, but she had a feeling he would be. He got situated and looked at her expectantly. She opened her mouth to tell him when her door opened. "Oh, my God!" Audrey shouted. She just wanted to tell her father what happened with Noah and people kept interrupting.

Jason turned towards the door to see Noah walk in. He and Noah both looked towards Audrey after hearing her outburst. Audrey blushed slightly that she had yelled but people around here had the worst timing. Audrey felt a little relieved when she saw it was Noah, however. Maybe telling Jason with him there would make it easier. Not just on Jason but on Audrey too. "I'm sorry if I interrupted something. I can come back later." Noah turned to leave when he heard Audrey stop him. "Wait, Noah. Actually, I think it's best if you stay." Noah and Jason both gave her a quizzical look. Neither man knew what was going on.

Noah closed the door and stood at the foot of Audrey's bed. Audrey situated herself in her bed and looked from the man she wanted to be with to the man who gave her life and saved it. "Dad, I have been trying to tell you something all day but people kept stopping by so I couldn't tell you. Now is as good a time as any so I have something to tell you." She looked at Noah, who now knew where she was going with her speech, and saw him give her a supporting nod.

Jason was confused. He didn't know what was going on and he didn't like to be kept in the dark. "What's going on?" "Dad, Noah and I became close when we were in that cellar." "Well, of course you did. You leaned on each other. I'm sure he was a good friend to you." Audrey got frustrated. "Let me finish. I did lean on Noah and I wouldn't have made it out of there with my sanity had it not been for him. But it was more than that. We care about each other, Dad. And not just as friends. We kissed in the cellar and now we want to be together with no interference from you. I didn't stand in your way when you were with Sam and I don't want you to stand in mine." She was on a roll now. Her words were coming effortlessly. "I don't want to fight with you about this and I don't want to have to choose but if you make me I will choose Noah. I have never felt this way about a person. There has been something between us since we first met and when we were being held we became a part of each other. And before you start to argue with me, know that I talked to Sonny about it and he told me about what happened with Courtney and he told me that he would back me up and if I have to I will go to Courtney, herself, and ask her to help me."

Jason sat there in shock. Not because Audrey and Noah were together, he knew that was going to happen, but because of how she was handling the situation. She was being mature about the whole thing and talking to him about it as an adult. He didn't want to stand in her way. He knew how it felt to be torn away from the person you love and he would never intentionally cause his daughter pain. And she was right, she didn't try to break him and Sam up, she let him love her even though Sam was her least favorite person.

Noah was worried about what was going to happen. Jason had been sitting there quiet for a few minutes and he didn't know what that meant. He knew that Jason wasn't going to be thrilled with the idea but he hoped that he would accept it. He loved his job and he wanted to keep it but just like Audrey, he was willing to give that up to be with her. On the subject of Audrey, Noah was impressed with how she handled herself. Every other time when he had been around her when she was fighting with Jason she was yelling at the top of her lungs, letting hurtful words fly out of her mouth. Now she was calm and collected. She really didn't want to have to choose and he didn't want her to have to. He just wanted this to all work out.

Audrey sat there with the weight of the world resting on her shoulders. She needed Jason to say something, anything. At this point she wouldn't mind if he yelled and screamed. At least they would be communicating. Jason finally looked up at her and then looked over at Noah. "If you let anything happen to her, I'll fire you…then I'll kill you." Audrey let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding then smiled widely. Noah nodded. He knew Jason was telling the truth.

Jason looked over at Audrey who had tears in her eyes. "Audrey, if Noah makes you happy then of course I won't stand in your way. Just be careful. I'm not just speaking from a fatherly point of view. This world is dangerous and unpredictable. And if I may make a suggestion, I think you should talk to Carly and Courtney about what you're getting into. They know better than anyone what happens when you love someone in this life." Audrey nodded. She thought was a good idea. "Thank you so much, Dad. I love you." Jason felt his heart tighten. That was the first time she had said that to him. "I love you too, Audrey. Well, I'm gonna give you two some time alone. I'll be back to check on you later. Noah, don't leave her alone in here." Noah nodded and sat down in the seat that Jason was just occupying and grabbed Audrey's hand.

Jason watched the scene before him before walking out of the room and heading to the elevator. He needed perspective on this and he knew just the person to give it to him.

He walked to the door and knocked loudly on it. He stood there for a second before he heard the lock click and the door start to open. He looked down and saw her beautiful face. Courtney looked at Jason, puzzled. She stepped aside to let him in before she closed the door. "Jason, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?" He grabbed her hand and led her to the couch. He took his jacket off and sat down. She did the same, crossing her legs under her and turning to face him.

"Audrey is dating Noah." Courtney nodded her head in realization. He was in the same situation Sonny was in three years ago. "And you don't like the idea?" Jason shook his head. "I know this is hypocritical of me, seeing as how we were in their situation, but now I know how Sonny feels. It scares me to death." Courtney rubbed his cheek. "Jason, Audrey is in this life anyway. Just like I was. Being with you gave me more protection from the life than just being Sonny's sister. And being with Noah, gives Audrey more protection from the life than just being your daughter. It's like having a personal bodyguard and lover all in one. There is no safer feeling in the world. She'll be okay."

"You weren't." Courtney flinched at his words. "A lot of things happened to me when we were together. But do you honestly think that they wouldn't have happened if we weren't together? I would have still been a target because of Sonny. And Audrey will always be a target because of you. And I know that's hard to think about but maybe if she is with Noah then that can prevent her from being hurt in the future. Jason, I know you want to protect your daughter but don't make the same mistakes Sonny did. Don't push her away and make her choose. We couldn't stay away from each other and something tells me that Audrey and Noah won't be able to either. And being with you was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. You showed me true love and happiness. Let your daughter find that."

Jason leaned in and kissed Courtney. She knew just the right things to say to make him feel better. He had to chuckle at the irony of the situation. Audrey and Noah were him and Courtney three years ago to the T. And Courtney was right. Being with her was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. He wasn't going to be the one to take that away from his daughter. If she found just an ounce of the happiness that he had with Courtney then she would be a lucky girl.


	18. Welcome Home

Jason escorted Audrey back to his penthouse. They were in the elevator before she broke the silence that had consumed them since they left the hospital. "I'm so glad to be home from the hospital." "I don't blame you." The elevator stopped and the doors opened. "All those well-meaning people just poking and prodding and…" she stopped her sentence when they reached the door and looked back at Jason questioningly. "I had the door changed. I thought you'd feel safer." Audrey nodded her head. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm…I'm sure I will. It's just a surprise…that's all." Jason started to feel guilty for doing in without seeing how she would feel about it. "Are you sure? I can get rid of it. I can change it back." Audrey shook her head. "No, no I'm glad you did it. Thank you." Jason nodded and opened the door to the penthouse allowing her to walk inside.

Audrey walked in the door and stopped. _"I need to get out of here. Somebody help me! Anybody!" _Jason gently put his hand on Audrey's shoulder causing her to jump. "Audrey, we can stay or go, whatever you want to do." She shook her head determined not to be driven out of her home. "I'll be okay. I know I will." She walked farther into the penthouse and sat down on the couch. Jason decided to give her a few minutes alone. HE started to walk up the stairs when he heard the door fly open. He turned around and saw Carly walk into the penthouse. He rolled his eyes and walked back downstairs.

Audrey jumped up from the couch and ran behind it when she heard the door burst open. She didn't know why she was reacting like that since Jason was right here but she was still a little jumpy. She saw Carly and started to relax. Carly smiled widely at her and walked over to her, wrapping her in a hug. "Welcome home." Audrey smiled. "Thanks. Do you always just waltz right in here?" Jason smiled as Carly laughed. "Yes. It's one of the benefits of being your father's best friend. I came to see how you were doing."

Audrey took a deep breath and thought about her answer. "I'm…okay. Sometimes I feel great and I don't think about what happened. And then other times it comes crashing in on me and I just want to cower in the corner. When I heard you open the door, I have to admit that I got a little scared." Carly instantly felt bad. "Oh, honey I am so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Audrey waved her hand at Carly. "No, it's not your fault. It's just something that I'm going to have to get over. Thank you for coming to check on me." Carly nodded.

Jason spoke up at that point. "Carly, I have a favor to ask of you." Carly looked shocked. "You are asking me to help you with something?" Jason smiled. "Yes. I want you and Courtney to talk to Audrey about what it's like to be involved with a guy in this business." Carly looked at Audrey and smiled. "Oh boy. Girls just can't resist the bad boys." Audrey laughed. "I would really appreciate it if I could talk to you and Court. You guys know all about this." "Of course. We'll have lunch tomorrow and we'll dish about everything. It'll be great!" She hugged Audrey before saying that she had plans with Jax and leaving the penthouse.

Sam ran into Carly exiting her penthouse and moaned. Carly was the last person that Sam wanted to see. She wondered if Jason had told her about him and Courtney yet. She walked in the penthouse and closed the door. Jason and Audrey were standing over by the stairs talking. They looked over at her as she walked up to them. None of them quite knew what to do. Sam looked at Audrey. "I'm glad you're home." Audrey nodded once. "Thanks. If you'll excuse me. I'm going to lie down." Jason moved out of her way and watched her walk up the stairs.

When he heard her door close he focused his attention back on Sam. "We need to talk." Sam felt her chest tighten. "Okay." They walked over to the middle of the room and sat down. Sam sat on the couch while Jason sat on the coffee table. Sam tried to hold his hand but he quickly pulled it away and put it in his pocket. "Sam…I don't really know how to say this but…" "But what?" He paused and looked at her. The woman that he once loved. She was just a stranger now. He didn't want to hurt her but he couldn't be with her anymore. "I can't be with you anymore." Sam felt her heart shatter. "What?" "When Audrey first showed up there was a lot of tension between you two. And I wasn't thrilled with it but I was willing to still be with you even though you didn't get along with my daughter. But then she went missing and you didn't care. You didn't try to help me find her and you didn't comfort me when I was going nuts. And I can't be with a person like that."

Sam had tears streaming down her face. "So this has nothing to do with Courtney?" Jason sat up a little and looked down at Sam. "Why would you bring her up?" Sam flew out of her seat and stood over Jason. "I saw you with her! At the hospital. I went to see Audrey to make sure she was okay but when I stepped off the elevator I was greeted by my fiancé kissing his ex wife! If you're going to cheat on someone at least have the decency do to it someplace private!" Jason sat there in silence. He didn't know that she had tried to visit Audrey. He stood up and she backed away from him. "Sam I…" "Save it Jason! This has nothing to do with Audrey's kidnapping. You decided that I wasn't good enough and that you were still in love with Courtney. Well you know what? Be with her." She grabbed a jacket and stormed out of the penthouse leaving Jason standing alone.

Audrey came down after hearing the fight to comfort her father. She got to the last step and saw him standing in the middle of the room expressionless. "Dad?" He moved his eyes to look at her. "Are you okay?" Jason just nodded. "Audrey I have business to take care of. Can you go over to Noah's?" "Uh, yeah, sure. I'll be home later okay?" She walked to the door and looked back at him one last time before exiting the penthouse.

Jason pulled out his cell phone and dialed. He waited for Stan to answer. "Stan. Now that Audrey's home I want to get back to her step-father. Have you found him yet?" Sam opened the door after forgetting her purse and stopped when she heard Jason on the phone. "Okay Stan, what's his name?" He pulled out a pen and piece of paper. "James Woods. And where is he? Austin, Texas." Jason finished writing down the information and ended the call. He was going make that bastard pay for what he did to Audrey.

Sam snuck back out of the penthouse without Jason noticing. She walked over to the elevator and pushed the button and stepped on. She walked out of the building and hailed a cab. She had to wait a moment before one pulled up. She opened the door and got it. "Where to ma'am?" Sam looked at the cabbie. "The airport please. I need to go to Austin, Texas." Sam sat back and looked out the window with an evil smile on her face.


	19. Do You Think You Can Handle This Life?

Audrey was just putting some lip gloss on when a light knock sounded on the door. She saw the door open and leaned back to see who it was. She smiled as she saw Courtney and Carly walk through the door. Today was their lunch date and she had to admit that she was a little nervous. She liked them both and they all got along really well but she was nervous about the stories she would hear about the life she was now in.

Courtney and Carly walked further into the penthouse and sat on the couch as Audrey finished getting ready. Courtney looked around the apartment anxiously hoping that Jason was there. That didn't go unnoticed by Carly. Before Courtney knew what was going on she heard her best friend yell Jason's name at the top of her lungs. Audrey whipped around and looked at Carly with a look of utter confusion and amusement. "If you wanted to know if he was here you could have just asked." Courtney laughed. "Yeah, Carly…" "Oh don't 'yeah Carly' me. You wanted to know if he was here so you could get a little smoochy smooch before you left and you weren't about to yell for him." Courtney turned a few shades of red and looked away from Carly and Audrey.

Audrey laughed at the two women in front of her. After everything that they had been through they still had a sunny outlook on life. She wanted to be like them. She looked in the mirror one last time before asking them if they were ready to go. They nodded and they left the penthouse and headed to Kelly's.

They walked into the small diner and Audrey and Courtney's eyes instantly fell on the two guys at the counter. They couldn't help but smile as they looked at each other and back to the men. They silently snuck up behind the men only to have them turn around and grab their waists. Courtney let out a small laugh while Audrey gasped. "How did you know we were behind you?" Audrey looked between Noah and Jason. "You ladies weren't exactly quiet as you walked in here." Jason nodded. "In fact, we heard you coming from the docks." He leaned down and kissed Courtney as Noah did the same with Audrey. As much as Carly loved seeing the scene in front of her she quickly shooed the guys away. This was a girls only lunch. They were supposed to be talking about the men, not talking to them. After much prodding Jason and Noah finally left the women alone to their meal.

They ate their lunch talking about purses, shoes, and the latest fashion trends. None of them knew quite how to address the subject of "the business." Finally Carly brought up the subject. "Audrey, this life is going to be hard." Courtney and Audrey both looked at Carly with somber looks on their faces. "I know." "No, you don't honey. I thought I did too but I didn't until I was right in the middle of it. I have been kidnapped and tortured and almost killed more times than I care to count because of Sonny. It's constant worrying and danger and looking over your shoulder. Are you ready for that?" Audrey looked down at her hands before looking back up at Carly. "I care about him." Courtney cut in now. "We know you do sweetie but if you're not in this for the long haul then it's better to not get in at all. We know what it's like, and we're not trying to talk you out of dating Noah. We just want you to know what you're getting into before you jump into something you're not ready for."

Audrey knew they meant well. She wanted to listen to what they had to say before she made this decision. "I know you guys just want what's best for me. That's why I'm not making any decisions until I've heard what you both have to say. If you wouldn't mind I'd kind of like it if you told me about your lives with Sonny and Jason. From beginning to end."

Courtney and Carly looked at each other before they started laughing. Audrey looked at them in confusion. "What's so funny?" Carly squeezed her arm. "Well, I hope you don't have any plans for the rest of the day because my story alone will take all night." Audrey smiled. "I have no where to be." Carly nodded and looked at Courtney before starting her story.

"Me and Sonny. Well let me start off by saying that we have been married three times." Audrey's eyes grew wide. Carly smiled. "I know. Anyway, we made a mistake getting together the first time. I was with Jason and made the mistake of sleeping with Sonny. But as much as that hurt Jason and as much hell as we went through, I wouldn't change anything that happened. I will always love Sonny, but what I've come to learn was that sometimes love just isn't enough. We aren't good for each other. We yell and we fight and that's where our intense passion comes from. It's very exciting but it's also unsteady and unstable." Courtney gave Carly a comforting smile. "Anyway, we couldn't stand each other when we first met. He was disgusted with me because of a lie I had created and I saw him as a threat to my perfect life. But then one fateful night changed everything. I thought that Jason had feelings for Elizabeth Webber so I went to Sonny to ask him about it. Sonny taunted me by saying that Jason had found someone good enough for him with Elizabeth and that I would never be enough for him. In the heat of the moment, our anger turned to lust and we made love. I ended up pregnant with his child and so he moved me and Michael into his penthouse. We eventually started to understand each other and we planned a wedding. But while I was at the Quartermaine's fighting with AJ I fell down the stairs and lost our baby. We were devastated. Sonny took me to his island to recuperate and we genuinely began to fall in love. But when we got home I made the mistake of thinking that Sonny thought of me as an obligation and so I moved out of his penthouse. I came up with a stupid plan that got Sonny in trouble so we had to get married so I couldn't testify against him. It wasn't until Sonny nearly died that he told me he loved me. We renewed our vows on the island. But I messed it up by again coming up with a plan to put Sonny in the witness protection program. He found out and was furious with me. He threw me out of the penthouse and swore it was for good. Even though we were getting divorced I agreed to let Sonny adopt Michael. After that Sonny had Zander guard me and we became close. We were both trying to get over people we loved. I didn't know at the time though that he was watching me for Sonny. I was starting to grow closer to Zander but one night I ended up at Sonny's penthouse. I caught him sleeping with Alexis and I was devastated. I went to Zander's to try and get back at Sonny but Zander kicked me out after figuring out that I was using him. I decided to leave town. People thought that I had died because my car went over a cliff. After a little while though I just couldn't stay away anymore and so I came back to town. I actually interrupted my own funeral."

"What?" Audrey couldn't believe some of the things that she was hearing. Carly and Courtney laughed. "Yeah. I ran out of the church after discovering what I had walked in on and Sonny came running after me. He wanted a second chance with me. But I found out that Alexis was possibly carrying Sonny's child. I, along with Sonny, however, believed Alexis when she gave us a fake paternity test saying that Ned was the father of her baby. After that I opened a club called The Cellar with Ric Lansing. Little did I know that Ric was Sonny's half-brother. Hell, at that point I didn't even know that Courtney was his half-sister. Anyway things were really good for a while. Until Sonny found out about your father and Courtney. I had known that something was going on but he was clueless. We were on complete opposite sides when it came to them. And it didn't help that his former love Brenda Barrett was back in town. I actually caught them kissing on the docks one night. I thought the worst and ran to Ric. I was drugged and Ric took advantage of the situation. He made me think that we had slept together. To make matters worse, I wound up pregnant and I didn't know who Morgan's father was. But eventually I told Sonny about what happened with Ric and we found out that he staged the whole thing. After finding that out we focused our attention on Jason and Courtney's wedding day. Things were pretty calm right up until a few days before the wedding. Alcazar kidnapped Sonny as a sign but we got him back in time to go on with the wedding. Unfortunately, Ric had other plans in mind and he kidnapped me from the church and locked me in a secret room in his house. His plan was to steal my baby and give it to Elizabeth as an adopted infant."

"This sounds like a soap opera." "Yeah, well that basically describes this life. Only this isn't staged. It's real." Audrey looked over at Courtney who had tears brimming in her eyes. Audrey really didn't know what she was getting into. But she wanted to hear the rest of Carly's story. And she really wanted to hear Courtney's since her and Jason had just found their way back to each other.

Carly took a sip of her water before continuing. "Just as Sonny and Jason were about to find me Alcazar kidnapped me from Ric and took me to his yacht. While I was with him he developed feelings for me. After I was rescued he sent me gifts and tried to romance me. Alcazar even hired someone to pretend to be Sonny's dead ex-wife Lily. He tried pushing me by buying me and the boys our dream house. One stormy night, I went to the house by myself and fell down the stairs. Courtney found me and went for help, but got into a car accident before she could tell anyone where I was. Alcazar actually found Courtney and she told him where I was. He rushed off to help me and when he got there I made him promise that no matter what happened he had to get Morgan to the hospital. Alcazar was delivering my baby when Sonny showed up. He heard me scream when he was outside so he kicked in the door and shot his gun. I finished delivering the baby and then passed out because the bullet passed through Alcazar and went into my head. I was in a coma for quite sometimes and it was basically like living a double life. I had very vivid dreams of a life with Alcazar where we had nothing to do with the mob. When I finally woke up I asked for Alcazar. Although I was physically healthy, all the love that I had for Sonny and my children were buried beneath the dream love I had for Alcazar. It got pretty bad after that. Sonny took me to the island where I told him that I didn't have the same feelings for him anymore. He left to confront Alcazar and before I could get to them, Sonny shot him. After Sonny's trial I collapsed while telling off Alcazar and I awoke with all of the feelings for my family restored. But I continued having flashes of Alcazar. I ended up marrying Alcazar. Me and Sonny were at odds until our children were kidnapped and we thought that Michael had died. He was so good to me through that whole situation but something inside of me broke. Even after Michael came back home I just wasn't the same person. I was breaking down. Sonny tried to help me by letting me move in with him but eventually I ended up at Roselawn. And now I'm the happiest that I have ever been with Jax. As much as I love Sonny, we just can't ever be together again. I need to live my life for me and I can't do that when I'm with him. He will always be a big part of my life though."

Audrey was dumbfounded. She didn't know what to say about their whole twisted love affair. "Wow. You guys went through a lot of hard times. But you were happy at times too." Carly nodded. "We were. And I wouldn't trade a single second I spent with him for anything in the world. And just because we didn't work out doesn't mean that you and Noah won't or that Jason and Courtney won't. You and Noah seem to be good for each other." Audrey smiled and the mention of his name. She really did care about him.

Audrey looked over at Courtney who had been quiet through the whole conversation. "Okay, I heard Carly's story. Now I want to hear about you and my dad." Courtney looked down at her hands before starting. "Ours isn't quite as intense as Sonny and Carly's. We had our ups and downs but for the most part we loved each other. I was actually married to Jason's brother when we first met. I had feelings for Jason at the get go. But I was determined to stay in my marriage. AJ was an alcoholic and one night he drove our car into The Oasis, the local strip club. To keep AJ out of jail I decided to strip for Coleman. That's when I really got to know Jason. Sonny sent him to the club to protect me. I hated the idea at first but then I started liking having Jason around. We became friends. Then AJ decided to stalk me so he could be my hero. But instead I went to Jason. He stayed with me a lot and we continued to develop feelings for each other. We actually had our first kiss outside of Jake's. It was pouring rain and we just couldn't help ourselves. Anyway, after I found out that AJ was my stalker I threw him out and invited Jason over for dinner. We didn't make it through dinner though. Our feelings got in the way and we ended up making love. After it happened he was kind of weird and ended up leaving my apartment. He came back later though and told me that he didn't want what we had to end. We decided to get a secret place for just the two of us. We ended up renting the loft that I still live in to this day. We spent all of our time there, just talking about our dreams and hopes. We shared our first Christmas together in that loft. Anyway Jason and Sonny got arrested for one thing or another and I went to AJ to get him to help Jason. Jason came in just as AJ was trying to blackmail me and he beat him up. He then told me that I could never try to help him again or he would walk away from me. That was the first time I admitted that I loved him. We still hadn't told anyone about our relationship yet but Elizabeth ended up following me and finding out. She and Jason had just broken up so needless to say she was hurt by us. She ended up slapping me and yelling at me and Jason. During this whole time Jason and Brenda were on trial for the murder of Luis Alcazar, Lorenzo's brother. I stuck by him through the whole trial. The charges against them were eventually dropped and Jason thought that it was time that we tell Sonny about us. So we got out in a really bad snowstorm to find Sonny and Carly. We ended up crashing the car and that's when we admitted that we loved each other. We were rescued and when we were at the hospital Jason told Sonny about us. Sonny didn't like the idea and basically told Jason that the only way to love me was to leave me. He told Jason that I was bound to get hurt if we stayed together. Jason broke up with me at the hospital. I was devastated but I wasn't about to back down. I loved him and I fought for him with everything that I had. During our break up I was kidnapped by Faith Roscoe as a set up for Sonny to find me and Jason together. Sonny was more convinced than ever that Jason had to stay away from me. It took a while but I was finally able to convince him that I had the right to choose if I wanted a life with him. Jason chose me over Sonny and Sonny considered it the ultimate betrayal. He thought I was trying to take Jason away from him. He fired Jason and continued trying to get me to break up with Jason. We were at odds for a really long time about the whole situation. Carly actually came to us with an idea of how to get Jason's job back. We had to stage a break up in the middle of Kelly's in front of Faith to set her up. Our plan didn't exactly work out as planned but after Carly fell through the ice Sonny told Jason that he needed him and he offered him his job. He finally decided that, even though he didn't life it, we were going to be together. Sonny was in a dark place at that time though so I broke up with Jason for Sonny's sake. Jason hated the idea but I thought it was the only way to help Sonny. Faith was a really big problem at that time. Her and Ric were working together to bring Sonny down. Ric actually kidnapped me and kept me in a mine shaft. Jason found me and took me to the hospital. We got back together as I was in the hospital. However, the day that I was released I overheard Ric and Faith talking about setting up Jason. As I was on my way to tell Jason what I heard Faith ran me down in her car. When I woke up in the hospital Ric threatened to send Jason to jail if I told him or Sonny what I heard. After I got out of the hospital that time Jason proposed and I accepted. But Ric had also proposed as a way to get to Sonny. Me and Jason set him up and got all the evidence of Fowler's murder away from Ric. Things were pretty calm after that until our wedding when Carly came up missing. That was a trying time on all of us. We were lost without her. Everyone was on edge wanting to find her. Somehow though, during her kidnapping I ended up pregnant."

Courtney started to choke up thinking about the baby she had lost. Carly wrapped her arms around her best friend and gave her the support to go on. She wiped a few stray tears before continuing. "Carly called to tell us where she was, only Jason and Sonny had all ready left. So I took it upon myself to go to South America to tell them where she was. I found them at the hotel and told them but while they were gone Alcazar showed up and took me in Carly's place. Jason came back and Alcazar told me to choose which one of us would live and which would die. Jason told me that I had to stay safe and he jumped out the window, knowing that Alcazar wouldn't hurt me. I was just leverage for him getting Carly back. It didn't work though. One night during a storm I got out of my room and made it up to the deck. One of his employees found me and I picked up a gun and pointed it at him. I walked over to the edge of the boat and got ready to jump. He told me it was suicide but I thought he was lying. So I made the biggest mistake of my life and I jumped overboard. I have never felt something so cold in my life. The water pierced through my body. I didn't think I was going to make it. I should have trusted Jason and waited for him to find me. Anyway, I woke up in a clinic where the doctors told me I had lost my baby. I didn't believe them at first. I thought they were working for Lorenzo. I was devastated. Jason found me in the clinic and brought me back to Port Charles but I wasn't the same after that. I lashed out at him and tried to make him feel as bad as I felt. I finally told him about the miscarriage. He said and did everything right but that made it worse for me. I wanted him to yell at me and hate me, not comfort me. One night after a fight I stormed out of the penthouse and ended up on the docks. I overheard some of Alcazar's men talking about something important so they attacked me. The doctor prescribed me hydrocodone for the pain. I didn't take them at first but then I started taking them to relax. But instead they just wound me up more. I started lashing out at Jason more and making up crazy ideas in my head like he was going to leave me. It got so bad that I hit Elizabeth with me car one night. Jason finally took me to the island to relax. It was just what I needed. I opened up to him about everything and we reconnected that weekend. He even gave me a massage to help the pain in the neck and shoulders. It's one of my favorite memories. We went back home and that's when I found out about Elizabeth. I wanted to turn myself in but Jason didn't want me too. Alcazar actually came up with a cover up for me. After that situation Jason whisked me away to France where we got married. It was the most incredible day of my life. Sonny and Carly flew out there and it was everything I needed. We came back and that's when Carly went into labor with Morgan. We took care of their kids for a long time and I got really attached to them. I even took them out of town after Jason refused to get out of the business. We made up though and we came back home. But I had met a cop in Hayes Landing and he followed us back here. Things just got to be too tense for me. I couldn't handle this life anymore and I needed out. After hearing that Jason wasn't going to stop Sonny from killing Alcazar I shut down. I had to get out. It was one thing right after another and I just couldn't handle it. I walked out on Jason and moved above Kelly's. We went back and forth for the longest time. Neither of us really able to let go. Even when we decided to divorce we still held on tight."

Courtney stopped and thought about what to say next. She had never relived her whole relationship with Jason before. It was harder than she thought it would be. "I didn't know how to get out of this life. I was so used to the code that I didn't trust anyone and I alibied Jason when the cops would come question me. It was second nature to me. I followed a cop one night and shot him when I thought he was going to kill Jason. That scared me more than anything. I did the very thing that scared me the most about Jason. This life is basically kill or be killed. I was so tore up about what I did. I wanted to confess but in the end I couldn't because Jason didn't want me too. He told me that I was free from him. We tried to stay away from each other until the Port Charles Hotel fire happened. I went in the hotel trying to find him. I found him with Brian and he told me to go with him. We met up again on the roof. Because of who Jason is, they wouldn't let him on the helicopter to be rescued so he gave his number to me. I got out safely and he barely made it out alive. He was actually handcuffed in the building but got out to some somehow. I ran right into his arms. We continued going back and forth until I kept him from killing Alcazar. I did what I thought was right and I hit him on the head to stop him. Him and Sonny thought that I had committed the ultimate betrayal. They shut me out of their lives. Jason signed our divorce papers and slammed the door in my face. I tried to move on but it was hard. I opened a foundation and started working with Jax while Jason got to know Sam better. We had one last kiss one night in the rain. Our relationship ended the same way it began. We went our separate ways for a while. It was just too hard to be around him so I stayed away. Especially when he told me that Sam was pregnant with him child and that they were getting married. I knew I had to move on then so I focused my attention on Jax. I even fell in love with him. But I'm going to tell you because I know first hand that just because I wasn't with Jason anymore didn't mean that I was out of that life. I was still Sonny's sister just like you're still Jason's daughter. I was actually involved in a shooting at the MetroCourt. Jason came just in time to save my life. Even Carly's dad threatened me to get to Jason. And he still protected me even though he did it from afar. And now we're trying again. I have never stopped loving your father and I never will. I have grown up since we split up and I have realized that no matter what I do, I will always be a target. I might as well live my life, however long it may be, with the love of my life."

All three women smiled at Courtney's last statement. Audrey couldn't believe some of the things that Courtney and Carly had been through. She didn't know if she was strong enough to face some of the things she did. Although she did just survive her first kidnapping. Carly broke her out of her thoughts by asking the million dollar question. "So, do you think you can handle this life?" Audrey looked between Courtney and Carly. "I…"


	20. Safe In The Arms Of Love

Carly broke her out of her thoughts by asking the million dollar question. "So, do you think you can handle this life?" Audrey looked between Courtney and Carly. "I have too. After listening to you guys I realize that this is going to be hard. It's going to be hard and painful and sometimes I'm probably going to want to give up. But even through all the hard times that you guys had you had really good times too. Carly, you have two beautiful children. And Courtney you found your way back to my dad. I know that Noah and I haven't been together for very long but I love him. And you said to only get involved if I was in it for the long haul and I am. I can't imagine not being with Noah." Courtney and Carly both smiled widely. "We were hoping you would say that!"

Courtney was walking up the stairs to her penthouse after dropping Carly and Audrey off. She was happy that she had the chance to get to know Audrey better. She was hoping that she would be a pretty permanent part of the teenager's life. She walked to her door and pulled her key out of her purse. She opened the door and stopped dead in her tracks. She looked around the room in awe. There were lit candles and lilies in every nook and cranny. Jason stood in the middle of the room with a bottle of champagne.

"Jason…" She walked over to him and stopped. "Do you like it?" She had tears running down her face. "I love it. I can't believe you did it." He opened the bottle and poured them each a glass handing her one. "Well, I have the entire night planned for us. You are going to take that champagne and go get into the bath. It's all ready for you with bubbles and everything." She smiled. "Are you going to join me?" Jason leaned down and kissed her. "No, this is for you. I may keep you company though after I finish the dinner." Courtney's eyes grew wide. "Jason, you cooked?" "Yes, I did. Now go. Relax and put yourself in my hands. It's been too long since you've done that." Courtney stood on her tiptoes and kissed him before she made her way to the bathroom.

She quickly undressed and got into the bathtub. She hadn't taken a bath in forever and it felt so good to let someone take care of her for a change. She lay against the back of the tub and put took a sip of her champagne. Jason came in a few moments later and kneeled in by her side. She cracked open one eye and smiled lazily at him. "What are you making me for dinner?" He shook his head. "Not yet. You'll find out when it's ready." She picked her head up and looked at him. "Jason, not that I'm complaining, but why are you going to all this trouble? You know I would be perfectly happy spending the night on the couch in your arms, eating pizza." Jason smiled. That was one of the things he loved about her. "I know. But it's been so long since I've been able to take care of you and do things for you that I thought I would pamper you. You deserve it simply for coming back into my life. And I know we still have things to talk about and we will, but right now I just want to be in this moment with you." Courtney felt her eyes tear up. "I want that too."

He leaned into the bathtub and kissed her while searching the soapy water for her loofa. He finally found it and began to gently wash her body. He started at her neck and worked his way down all the way to her toes. She giggled at first before she started playing with the back of his hair. When he got done washing her, she stood up while he got her robe and wrapped it around her body.

They walked out of the bathroom and looked at the bed. Both of them wanted to make love but they also wanted to take it slow and enjoy each other again. They opted to go into the living room. Jason sat Courtney down on the couch and picked up a blindfold from the coffee table. She looked at him in confusion. "What is that for?" Jason smiled coyly. "Dinner." Jason said simply. He tied the blindfold behind her head and walked into the kitchen. "Jason." "He came back in and set the food down on the table before kneeling in front of her. "Trust me. Just let your other senses guide you." She smiled and nodded. "Okay."

He picked up the fork and put it to her lips. She slowly opened her mouth, letting him put the food in. He took the fork out of her mouth and watched her chew what he had just put in. She swallowed and smiled. "Stuffed shells, my favorite." Jason smiled. He grabbed another forkful of food and waited until she opened her mouth again. "Lobster? That's an odd combination but again…" she stopped. "Jason, did you make all of my favorite foods?" Jason didn't answer. Instead he picked up another fork and brought it to her mouth. "Jason?" "Just open your mouth." She did as she was told and waited to see what was in store for her next. This wasn't like the other two. This was dessert. "Vanilla bean cheese cake." Jason smiled as her fed her another bite. This time though he missed her mouth and smeared it all over face. She squealed. "Jason Morgan!" She tore her blindfold off and reached for the plate of food.

She looked at it a second before she tore into the whip cream, wiping it all over his face. He had put together a plate of all her favorite dinners and desserts. Jason stood up and grabbed Courtney causing her to scream. He laughed and spun her around. He put her down and took off running, knowing that she would be too dizzy to follow. He ran to the plate of food and picked it up throwing random entrees at her. Courtney regained her balance and tried to dodge the food that was coming at her. Realizing that she had to weapons she took off in a mad dash towards the kitchen. She whipped open the refrigerator door and took out anything that she could throw.

Before Jason knew what was happening he was being pelted by carrots, cheese, and yogurt. They were having a full out food fight. The loft was a disaster and Courtney was hiding behind the refrigerator door. She peeked out and saw the white blindfold being waved. She peeked out a little further before deciding it was safe to come out. She walked over to him and started to clean him off. He gently grabbed her arm to stop her as he looked deep into her eyes. He slowly leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss. The kiss spoke volumes to both of them. Letting each one exactly what they felt. He slowly led her backwards into the bedroom. He lay her on the bed and covered her with his own body. They were taking it slow. Exploring each other again and getting comfortable.

He kissed a trail down her neck and to the top of her shirt. He looked up at her as if asking if he could take if off. She nodded slightly and he began unbuttoning it. He removed her shirt and looked at her in awe. She was just as beautiful as she was when they were married. She sat up and removed his shirt before bringing him back down with her. Jason kissed all down Courtney's stomach to the top of her pants. He unbuttoned them and slipped them off of her legs. She watched him as he stared at her. He made her feel so beautiful.

She flipped them over and took off Jason's pants and kissed his bare chest. They finally removed all particles of clothing and reunited completely. They lay in bed afterwards just soaking up each other. Courtney lifted her head from her chest and looked at him. "Is it going to be different this time?" Jason looked down at her. He could see the vulnerability shining through her eyes. "I don't know. It's going to be hard Courtney. It's going to be the same danger and uncertainty. My life hasn't changed. But I'm hoping that we have enough to work through the hard times." Courtney sat up. "Jason, I know I couldn't handle your life before and you'll never know how sorry I am. But I've realized that no matter what I do or how hard I try to get out of this life, I can't. I am Sonny's sister and I still love you. People know that they can get to you guys through me. And talking to Audrey today just reaffirmed the fact that I can't spend the rest of my life without you. I want you to be the person that I laugh with during the good times and count on during the bad."

Jason gently ran his fingers up and down her arm. "So, what does that mean?" Courtney smiled. "We're starting over." Jason kissed the top of her head. "I love you." "I love you too." Jason squeezed Courtney once more before they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Audrey walked up to Noah's door and knocked. She had done a lot of thinking after Courtney had dropped her off. She knew that she couldn't let him go now. They were in too deep and she wanted it that way. She stood there for a second before Noah opened the door. He smiled and pulled her into his apartment. She laughed as she fell into his arms. "Well, hello you." He smiled at her. "Hello to you too. I missed you today." "Hmm, I missed you too. But I needed to talk to Courtney and Carly. I needed to know what I was getting into by falling for you and if I could handle it." Noah looked at her nervously. "And did you come to a conclusion?" She nodded. "I need you in my life. I know that this is going to get hard and I know that I'm going to be in danger. I've all ready been a target. But I'm not going to let all of that stand in the way of all of the happy times we can have together. I would rather be stuck in a cellar with you then in a castle all by myself." Noah pulled her closer to him and kissed her head.

They pulled away and she led him over to the couch and pulled him down. She snuggled into him and closed her eyes. This was how she wanted her life to be. Safe in the arms of the man she loved. Noah ran his hands through her hair until he was sure she was asleep. He was so happy that Audrey had decided to take a chance with him. He didn't know it was possible to fall in love this fast but he loved this girl more than anything. He wanted to protect her and care for her for the rest of their lives. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her again.

Both couples spent the night wrapped in each other's arms. Everyone felt safe in their own little world. Nothing bad could happen while they were together. Little did they know that their perfect little world was about to come crashing down.


	21. How'd You Find Me?

Sam pulled up to the mansion in Austin, Texas. She didn't know what she was going to say yet. All she knew was that she had to lead Audrey's step-father to her. That way she would be out of Jason's life and Sam would be the one to comfort him. She walked up to the door and knocked twice. She took a step away from the door and waited for someone to open it. The door finally opened and in front of her was, she assumed, James Woods.

"Can I help you?" Sam took a step forward. "Yes, hi. I'm looking for James Woods." The man studied her before speaking again. "I'm James Woods. What can I do for you?" Sam smiled. "My name is Sam McCall. I'm from Port Charles and I think I know something that you may be interested in." Intrigued, James moved aside and guided Sam into the house. They made their way to his study and sat down, the desk separating them.

"I'm listening, Ms. McCall." Sam paused a moment, contemplating if this was the right thing to do. She decided that she would do anything to get Jason back. "I'm aware that you were married at one time to a woman named Karen Wexler." James nodded wondering where Sam was going with this. "And Karen had a daughter, correct?" Again, James nodded. He hadn't seen Audrey in over a year. He had left after she had started defending herself. "Well, I know where your step-daughter is." James sat upright. He had been looking for her ever since Karen had died. "Where?" Sam made him wait a few moments before telling him.

"Port Charles, New York." James smiled. "Karen's hometown." Sam nodded. "She located her biological father there. My fiancé. Well at least he was my fiancé until Audrey showed up. Now he's back with his ex-wife. I want to work with you, Mr. Woods. I will lead you straight to Audrey if you get her out of Jason's life…for good. I know that Jason will come to his senses once that girl is out of town. So, will you help me?" James thought about what Sam was proposing. He had wanted Audrey to be his for so long and now was his chance. "I will help you Sam. You take me to Port Charles and I will make sure that Audrey never bothers you or her father again." Sam smiled. They stood up and shook hands before coming up with their plan.

Audrey woke up after staying the night at Noah's with a bad feeling. She couldn't quite place what was wrong but she knew that something bad was going to happen. She tried to shake it off as she got up and headed to the shower. Noah had all ready left for work. He left her a note telling her that he loved her and that he would see her later. She smiled as she read his words. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Finally. She got out of the shower and got dressed before heading back to her father's penthouse.

She decided to take the long way back to the penthouse. She headed towards the docks. She loved sitting on a bench and just staring out at the water. It made all of her problems feel so small. She walked down the stairs and stopped dead in her tracks. "Hello, Audrey. Long time, no see." Audrey's blood felt cold and if felt like her heart had stopped. "What are you doing here?" "I came to see you." "How did you find me?" "An informant. You're a hard girl to track down." "Go away James! You're making a big mistake by being here! I have a real father now who will do anything to protect me. And I have a boyfriend who is just as protective! Just go!" James took a step towards her and she backed away. "Now, now. That's no way to talk to the man who raised you." "You mean the man that raped me!" Audrey turned as fast as she could and ran towards the penthouse.

James let her go for now. Sam walked out from behind the fence. "That was quite the reunion." James smiled. "The first part of our plan is done. Audrey knows I can find her." James walked away and left Sam on the docks to bask in her reunion with Jason.

Audrey got to the penthouse in record time. She didn't want to wait for the elevator. If James had followed her she didn't want to be stuck in an elevator with him. She took the stairs two at a time. Her legs were burning by the time she got to her floor. She opened the door and ran straight into Marco's arms. Noah had told him that he could stay at the penthouse since Audrey was staying at his apartment. Now Audrey wished that Marco had been with her.

The guard apprehensively wrapped his arms around the distraught girl. "Miss Morgan, what happened?" "Where is my dad?" "He's out for the day. He has business with Mr. Calvin." That only made Audrey cry harder. The two men that she counted on weren't around the comfort her. "What about Sonny? Is he with them?" "No, he's letting them take care of it. He's at his house." Audrey finally let go of Marco and looked up at him. "Can you take me over there? Please?" Marco nodded and guided her out to his car.

Marco pulled up to Sonny's house and stopped the car. He still didn't know what happened to Audrey but he knew that it was bad. Audrey didn't break down often. She was a strong girl. He walked around to her door and let her out of the car. She thanked him before walking up the path to Sonny's door. She opened the door and was greeted by Max and Milo. They noticed her red eyes and tear stained cheeks and immediately informed Sonny that she was there. She walked into the living room and ran right into Sonny's arms, just as she had done with Marco. She needed to feel safe right now. Sonny didn't ask any questions. He just stroked her head and let her cry.

He knew that she would tell him when she was ready. She pulled back a few minutes later and sat down on the couch. Sonny followed her lead. She took a deep breath before telling him what happened. "My step-father is here." Sonny felt rage deep inside him. He hadn't known Audrey very long but she was part of his family now. Her bastard step-father wouldn't hurt her if he had anything to say about it. "Where did you see him?" "On the docks. I was walking home from Noah's, which I know I shouldn't have done alone, but I went to the docks to look out at the water and as soon as I walked down the steps I saw him. He was…he was smiling at me. And he told me that he came to see me. That an informant told him where I was. Sonny, I'm scared. You don't know what that man is capable of. If he took the time to come find me he won't leave unless I'm with him." Sonny soothed her. "It's okay. Nothing is going to happen to you. Jason and Noah and I are going to protect you."

Audrey nodded. "I'm going to call your father now. Do you want Marco to stay with you while I'm on the phone?" Audrey nodded again. Sonny called Marco in and told him to stay with her until he got back. Marco agreed and sat down next to Audrey. She looked so child-like. Her eyes looked lost and scared. Whatever this man had done to her it wasn't good at all. He just wondered how he found out where she was.

Sonny walked into the entrance way and dialed Jason's number. He picked up on the second ring. "Morgan." "It's me. We have a problem. Audrey's step-father paid her a little visit today." Jason tensed up at the mention of her step-father. "How did he find her?" "He said an informant told him. They were on the docks. She's terrified, man. You need to get over here right away." Sonny hung up and walked back into his living room. He dismissed Marco and wrapped his arms around Audrey. He rocked her back and forth as he waited for Jason to get there.

Jason just left his meeting without telling anyone, even Noah. He had never been so mad and scared in his entire life and he had faced a lot of situations. He jumped on his bike and sped off towards Sonny's. He had vowed to take care of James Woods as soon as Audrey as told Jason about him. And he was going to keep that vow no matter what he had to do.


	22. James Woods

Jason was going to fast he almost missed Sonny's driveway. He jumped off his bike and ran into the house. He found Audrey wrapped in Sonny's arms. It broke his heart to see his daughter so scared. She hadn't even been this scared when she was locked in the cellar. He walked over to her and gently pulled her out of Sonny's arms and took her in his own. She went willingly and started crying all over again. Jason spoke quiet words to her, telling her everything she needed to hear.

After a few minutes she pulled back and looked up at him. "Don't let him get me." Her words were a knife through Jason's heart. He took her face in his hands and as firmly and gently as he could he told her that he would never let that happen.

Across town James walked into Courtney's foundation. Sam had told him all about Courtney. She said that if James could get Courtney out of the way too she would make it worth his while. And she had. He walked up to the receptionist and waited for her to get off the phone. When she hung up the receiver she looked up at him. "Can I help you?" "Yes, I would like to see Courtney Matthews. Is she in?" The receptionist dialed Courtney's extension number and told her she had a guest. Then she looked back at James and told him to go right in.

He walked down the hall thinking of the angle he wanted to play. He got to her door and tapped lightly on it before opening it. She was breathtaking. She was sitting behind her desk wearing a light blue suit with her hair pulled back. Audrey's father sure did know how to pick his women. And James was lucky enough to have his way with them when Jason was done. She stood up and walked around the desk extending her hand when she got close enough. "Hello, I'm Courtney Matthews." James smiled. "James Woods." "Well what can I do for you Mr. Woods?" "I'm new to town and I've heard a little bit about your foundation and I like what I have heard so far and I want to make a large donation. But I wanted a little bit more information from you before I donate my money." Courtney smiled. "Well we welcome any donation, whether they are big or small. Why don't you have a seat and we can discuss what you want to know about my foundation." Courtney walked back around her desk and sat in her big chair while James sat across from her.

"So, Mr. Woods, what would you like to know?" "Well, I hear it for abused children, is that correct?" Courtney nodded. "Yes, the point of this foundation is to help abused and neglected children in all different age ranges." "Well, that is very noble of you. What made you decide to start your foundation?" "Well, my brother had kind of a hard child hood and I wanted to help children get away from that. I couldn't help him but I could help other kids." "Wow that is really amazing of you. Well, that is all I need to hear. I would be more than happy to help out this foundation." He pulled out his checkbook and wrote a check before handing it to Courtney. She looked down at it and gasped. "Mr. Woods I think you added too many zeroes." He chuckled. "It's no mistake Ms. Matthews. I want to donate fifty-million dollars to your foundation." Courtney had tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much. No one has ever been this generous before. This will really help us out." James nodded and shook Courtney's hand before leaving.

Courtney sat down at her desk in amazement. She picked up the phone and called Jason. She just had to tell someone what had just happened. She dialed the familiar number and waited for him to answer. "Morgan." "You will never guess what just happened!" "Courtney, I can't talk right now. Something happened to Audrey today and she really needs me." "Of course. Is there anything I can do?" "Come over to Sonny's. You may be able to help her." "I'll be right there. I love you." "I love you too." Courtney hung up the phone and grabbed her suit jacket before heading to Sonny's.

Courtney poked her head in the living room door before she entered. She didn't want to walk in on a father/daughter moment. When she looked in she saw Audrey's head on Jason's chest and Jason whispering soothing words to his daughter. Her heart broke. How could one amazing girl go through so many bad things and still be so strong and happy? She walked in the room and made her way over to where they were sitting.

Audrey looked up when she saw a pair of legs walking towards her. Courtney sat down on the other side of Audrey and began rubbing her back. "Hey sweetie." "Hi." "Are you okay? What happened?" "My step-father found me. I ran into him on the docks. He told me that he came for me." Courtney pulled Audrey into a hug. "It's going to be okay, Audrey. We aren't going to let anything happen to you, okay?" Audrey nodded. "I just don't want to think about it anymore. Dad said you called with some good news. What is it?"

Courtney's face immediately lit up. "Well, a man stopped by my foundation today. He told me that he had heard a little bit about my foundation and was interested in making a donation but he had a few questions. As soon as we were done talking he told me that he loved what he heard and that he wanted to make a large donation. He handed me a check for fifty-million dollars. No one has ever donated that much money before. That is going to help out so much with the kids." Audrey smiled. "That is so awesome, Court. I am so happy for you." "Thank you."

Jason stood up and walked over to Courtney giving her a hug and a kiss. "I'm really proud of you, Courtney. You've done such great things with that foundation." "Thank you. I'm going to have to send this guy a thank you card or a little present or something. I have his name; I just need to get his address. Stan could help me out, couldn't he?" Jason nodded his head. "Yeah, sure, what's the man's name?" "James Woods."


	23. Safe House

Audrey broke into hysterics when she heard her step-father's name come out of Courtney's mouth. Courtney looked worriedly at Audrey. "Jason, what's wrong with her? What did I say?" Jason looked up at Courtney as he held Audrey. "That's her step-father. He's sick, Courtney. You need to stay away from him." Courtney nodded her head. "Of course. Audrey, I am so sorry. I had no idea. I never would have…" Audrey cut her off. "I know. I know. You didn't have any idea who he was. It's okay." Courtney walked to the couch and sat beside Audrey taking her hand.

She looked at Jason. "What are you going to do?" "First, I'm getting you and Audrey out of town. I'm going to take you to a safe house so he can't get to you. Then, I'm going to take care of him. He's messed with the wrong women. What he did to Audrey was bad enough but now he's trying to hurt you too. I'm not going to let anything happen to either of you." Courtney put her arm behind Audrey's back and squeezed Jason's shoulder. "We know that."

Jason called Max and Milo into the room and told them not to let Audrey and Courtney out of their sight. They nodded and Jason left the room. Audrey started to calm down. She wanted to believe that James would never hurt her again but she knew him. He was capable of anything. But on the other hand, so was her father. Jason would do anything to protect the people he loved and now she was lucky enough to be one of those people. She started getting tired after all her crying so she lay down on Sonny's couch and drifted off.

Courtney laid a blanket over Audrey and rubbed her hair until the girl fell asleep. Courtney couldn't believe she trusted the guy earlier. He had just seemed so genuine. What she really wanted to know was how he knew about her and her foundation? Did he also know that she was dating Jason? She shivered at the thought. Max saw her and smiled comfortingly at her. "Don't worry Mrs. M. We'll take care of you." Courtney had always liked Max. He was so kind. "Thank you, Max."

Jason walked out in the entryway. Sonny was waiting for him out there. "That bastard needs to be taken care of. He's cocky, going to see Courtney like that." Jason nodded. "You need to get them out of town tonight. We'll have the safe house set up with everything you guys will need. We've even set up a room for Audrey with everything a teenage girl could want." "Thank you, Sonny." Sonny shrugged him off. "You don't have to thank me. You're family."

James walked into his hotel room and saw Sam sitting on the couch. He rolled his eyes. "Are you still here?" "Do you still need my help?" James nodded. "I'm only here because you need my help. The faster you get Audrey, the faster I can be with Jason again." "I went to Courtney's office today. She bought the entire thing." "She's naïve." James nodded. "Yes, but it works to our advantage. She trusts me now. Maybe she'll even want Audrey to meet me. Wouldn't that be great? To see the look on her face?" He had a sick smile on his face that made Sam cringe. She wanted all of this to be over as soon as possible.

Jason led the women into their temporary home. On the outside it was a typical two story country house. On the inside it was decked out with the latest everything. It was very up to date and modern. Audrey loved it. Jason closed and locked the front door before checking all the windows and other doors. Audrey wandered around the house taking in everything. Courtney watched her in amusement. "You know, the good thing about having to go to a safe house is the guarantee that you'll be living in luxury for a while. Sonny doesn't know any different." Audrey smiled. "I could get used to this." Jason walked in. "Well, I wouldn't if I were you. This is only temporary." Audrey looked at him. "Well it doesn't have to be. You could decorate your place like this." Courtney laughed. "Jason? Yeah right. He lives as simple as possible. You should have seen his apartment before I moved in. It was a mix between a bar and a waiting room." Audrey laughed and Jason looked towards Courtney. "Ha ha. You two should get to bed. It's getting late." Audrey walked towards him. "What are you going to do?" "I need to go talk to Sonny. We have some things to take care of. There are guards all around here to protect you." Audrey looked down. "I want you to protect me."

Jason's heart clenched. "I am. By talking to Sonny I am protecting you. I need to be around town so nothing looks amiss. Just trust me, please." "Audrey, your dad knows what he's doing. If he thinks that going back is better for us, then it is." Audrey nodded. "Okay. As long as Courtney is here with me then I'll be okay." Courtney smiled. "I'm not going anywhere."

As soon as Courtney said that something struck Audrey. "Oh my God! Noah! Noah doesn't know where I am. He must be worried sick. I have to…" Jason interrupted her. "He knows, Audrey. I called him and told him everything." Audrey felt a huge sense of relief. "Thank you, Dad. He's not angry or anything is he?" Jason shook his head. "No. He's going to be helping us. Don't worry, okay? Just go to bed." "Okay, goodnight. I love you…both. Courtney smiled. "We love you too, honey."

Audrey walked up the stairs and Jason wrapped his arms around Courtney's waist. "I didn't want anything else to happen to her after she was kidnapped. I thought I could protect her." "Jase, you did. You were there when she needed you most and you took her out of a bad situation. James can't get her now." "He could have got you. I should have known that he would try to contact you." "You had just found out that he was in town. There was no way you could have had a guard on me in time. You did everything right, Jase. He's not going to win. We're going to stop him." He rested him chin on her shoulder. "I love you, ya know?" She smiled. "Yeah, I know. I love you too." They broke apart and Jason placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I have to go now. Make sure you lock the door when I leave." "I will. Be careful, okay? Your daughter and I need you." He nodded and kissed her again before walking out of the house.

She followed him and locked all the locks on the door before turning the lights off and heading upstairs. She cracked open Audrey's door and made sure that she was sleeping before she headed to the master bedroom. She walked in and felt butterflies in her stomach. The room was decorated the exact same way their room at the penthouse was. Jason never ceased to amaze her. She walked into the bathroom and washed her face before changing into pajamas and climbing into bed. She pulled the covers over her and prayed for everything to work out before drifting off to sleep.

James slammed the hotel door as he made his way back into his room. He had left a while ago wanting to find Audrey. He went to the penthouse, Courtney's loft, Sonny's house, Noah's apartment, and the PCU dorms before going back to the hotel. He didn't know where else to look. He had walked practically around the entire town of Port Charles as he headed to each place and he hadn't found her anywhere. Sam walked out of the bedroom when she heard all the commotion he was making. "What's wrong?" "I can't find her! He's hiding her." Sam thought for a minute. "And I know where."


	24. We've Got a Problem

James stepped towards Sam. "Where?" Sam smiled. "Jason has a certain safe house that he will only use for Courtney. He never let me go there. It's like special to them or something." James smiled too. "Where?"

Jason hopped off his bike and walked into the warehouse. Sonny was sitting behind the desk waiting for him. "Are they all settled?" Jason nodded. "Yeah. Audrey didn't want me to leave but Courtney calmed her down." "Courtney's very good with her." "Yes she is." Jason sat down across from Sonny when he heard a knock on the door. He didn't know they were expecting anyone else. The door opened and Noah walked in looking pretty rough. It was obvious that he was worried about Audrey. Jason had been wrong. And as soon as all this was over he was going to admit that.

Noah sat down and the three men discussed what they were going to do about the women they loved. All of them loving the women in different ways. They came up with a plan and went their separate directions. Sonny went home. Noah went to his apartment. Jason however went to Jake's. He couldn't stand the thought of being alone in the penthouse. He was so used to noise now that it didn't feel right without it.

James and Sam pulled up to the safe house. Sam was there as a distraction. She would keep the guards occupied while James went in and got both Audrey and Courtney. Sam got out of the car first and made her way to the front door. Marco and Robert stepped in front of the door when they saw her approaching. "Ms. McCall, what are you doing here?" "Jason called me and asked if I could check on Audrey and Courtney. He thinks it will look less suspicious if I'm the one out of town." Marco thought about it. "Why would he send you and not Carly? Didn't you two break up?" Sam flinched slightly at his words. Neither guard noticed. "Yes, we did. But that doesn't mean that I don't care about him. I will always help me out if he needs me. Besides Michael isn't feeling well so Carly couldn't leave."

The guards looked at each other. Sam prayed that they bought her story. She didn't want to know what James would do to her if they didn't. They finally stepped to the side and let her in. She closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. She walked to the back door and looked out the window. She didn't see any guards. She unlocked the door and waited for James. He came in a couple minutes later. They made their way silently up the stairs. Since Audrey was smaller Sam headed for her room. James couldn't get them both out conscious so he decided to drug Courtney. He walked into the room and watched her sleep for a moment before putting the cloth over her mouth.

Courtney woke up panicked before the drug kicked in and she became unconscious again. James picked her up and carried her down the hall. He nodded towards Sam and she opened Audrey's door. She walked to the bed and put a blindfold over her eyes. Audrey started thrashing around. It wasn't until she heard James that she stopped. "Audrey, don't make this harder for yourself. If you fight this, we'll have to kill Courtney." At the mention of Courtney's name, Audrey settled down. She got off the bed and allowed Sam to lead her to the back door.

James and Sam parted ways there. Sam had to walk back out the front door or the guards would get suspicious. She ran back upstairs and made it seem like Courtney and Audrey were still in their beds. She then went back to the back door and locked it. She made sure everything seemed normal before she headed out the door. That was a bonus of dating Jason. He taught her how to make it look like she was never somewhere she wasn't supposed to be.

She smiled at Marco and Robert before walking to the car. She got in the drivers seat and backed out of the driveway. Audrey was sitting in the backseat with Courtney lying on her lap. She tried to figure out who was with James but the person never said a word. James directed them where to drive but they never responded. How did James know where they were? Someone in town had to be helping him, but who?

Marco had noticed that Sam had pulled out the driveway going the opposite way of Port Charles. He had his phone out and dialing Jason's number before the car was out of sight. He didn't want to make this phone call but knew that he had too. He ordered Robert to check on Audrey and Courtney knowing that they weren't going to be there. Robert ran through the door, confirming what Marco all ready suspected. He hit the call button knowing it may be the last call he ever made.

The phone ringing brought Jason out of his thoughts. He looked at the screen before answering. "Yeah?" "Boss, we've got a problem." Jason became rigid with fear and anger. "What is it?" "They're gone." Jason jumped out of his chair, knocking it backwards. "What do you mean 'they're gone'? Where the hell are they?" He couldn't believe someone had been able to get to them. "I'll be right there."

Jason ended the call and dialed Sonny's number. He didn't wait for Sonny to say hello when he heard the call connect. "Sonny, they're gone." "What? Where are they?" "I don't know. We have to get to the safe house. I'll be there in 10 minutes." "Okay." Jason hung up the phone and threw on his jeans and leather jacket before walking out the door. He didn't understand how James could have known where they were. Who was helping him?

They got to the safe house and found Marco and Robert still standing in front of the door. "A lot of good that does us now." Jason said as he walked past them. The guards followed him inside and waited for him to yell. Instead he said nothing. He just walked through the house trying to figure out what happened. Finally, he turned his attention to them. "Tell me everything." The guards looked at each other. Marco stepped forward. "We saw a car pull up and someone get out." Sonny interrupted him. "That was your first mistake. No one should have had time to get out that car before one of you were at the car with your guns out." Marco nodded. "It was Sam. She said…" Jason shook his head in disbelief. "Hold on a minute. Sam McCall?" The guards nodded.

This all made sense now. How James had known so much about Courtney and how he had known where to go. Sam knew that Jason had a safe house just for Courtney. He just couldn't believe that she would stoop so low. "Go on." "She said that you asked her to check on Audrey and Courtney because it would look less suspicious if she were out of town. She said that you wanted Carly to do it but Michael was sick so she couldn't leave." Sam knew how to lie and how to manipulate people. She was very good at coming up with a story on the spot.

Jason was lost in his own thoughts so he took over the conversation. "Why didn't you call Jason and ask him if Sam was telling the truth?" Marco gulped. "She seemed so genuine and willing to help. We didn't think she would be helping Audrey's step-father." "How did she get both of them out? She couldn't have been here alone? She would have had to let him in the backdoor. He took one while she took the other." Jason nodded. "We have to find them. I promised Audrey that nothing would happen to her. We can't let him keep them longer than he all ready has. When Sam pulled the car out of the driveway which way did she go?" "The opposite way of Port Charles. That's why we called you." Jason nodded. "Well, at least you did one thing right."

Jason walked out of the house thinking of all the places that they could be. He knew it was worthless since there were hundreds of places they could be but he had to do something. Sonny walked out of the house a few minutes later and put his hand on Jason's shoulder. "We're going to find them. We always do." "I know we will. I just don't know what he'll do to them in the meantime."

Sam pulled the car up to a hotel. She turned off the ignition and got Audrey out of the backseat. James picked Courtney up and she started to stir. Sam walked into the lobby and asked for two rooms. She was handed the keys and walked back out to where James was waiting. She held up the keys and he smiled. They walked to their adjoining rooms and Sam unlocked the first door. She led Audrey in and sat her down. James walked in behind her with Courtney and laid her down on the bed.

Sam walked into the adjoining hotel room before James removed Audrey's blindfold. Audrey had tear streaks staining her face. James wiped at them as Audrey jerked her head away from his touch. James smiled before joining Sam in the other room. He pulled the door behind him but didn't quite shut it all the way.

Audrey ran over to Courtney and gently shook her. "Courtney? Courtney, are you okay? Please be okay." Courtney started to stir again before she opened her eyes. She squinted a minute before her eyes adjusted to the light. She looked over at Audrey and saw her panicked expression. It was then that Courtney remembered what happened. She sat up on the bed and brought Audrey into a hug. "Audrey, are you all right? Did he hurt you?" Audrey shook her head. "No." "Good. He's not going to get away with this. Jason's going to find us he'll…" Courtney stopped when she heard a woman laugh. She knew that laugh. "Audrey, where's James?" Audrey pointed to the door. "In there." "Who is he with?" Audrey shrugged. "I don't know." She didn't really think much of it until she heard the woman talk. She looked up at Courtney with wide eyes. "Oh my God," Audrey whispered. "It's…" "Sam," Courtney finished. "Sam's the one who's been helping him."


	25. Showdown

Audrey felt a surge of anger go through her. "I should have known that skank would be the one helping him. What is she thinking?" Courtney shook her head. "That if James gets us out of the way Jason will take her back." Audrey started pacing around the room. "He will never take her back. I won't let him." Courtney patted the bed next to her. Audrey walked over and sat down. "Your father is smarter than that. He'll figure out that Sam is helping James and then he'll take care of her. Don't worry. We're going to be okay." Audrey looked down. "I hope so."

Sonny and Jason pulled out of the driveway and headed down the same path Sam had taken not too long ago. Jason pulled out his cell phone and dialed Noah's number. Noah picked up after one ring. "Hello?" "Noah, it's Jason. James got to them. I need you to figure out where he could have taken them. Sam drove off in the opposite direction of town. Check out all warehouses, abandoned buildings, and motels. Call me when you have the list." Jason flipped shut his phone. "Hurry up, Sonny. We have to get to them." "We don't even know where they are. If I go faster I might drive past them." Jason laid his head back on the seat. He felt helpless, and he hated that feeling.

Courtney and Audrey were huddled up on the bed when James walked into the room. He smiled at the sight of them scared. Audrey cowered into Courtney's shoulder as James made his way towards them.

Noah called Jason with a list of the potential places James could be. The headed to the first place on the list just a few miles down the road. Sonny pushed the pedal down as far as he could and they were at the building within a minute. They parked the car a ways from the building and made the rest of the journey on foot. They crept up to the property and drew their guns. Jason walked to the door first. He looked back at Sonny before kicking in the door. He felt anger flow through his veins at the sight in front of him.

James walked slowly towards the bed that Courtney and Audrey were occupying. He reached the bed and pushed Audrey away from Courtney. He sat down in front of Courtney and traced his finger up and down her arm. She cringed at his touch. He leaned into her and smelled her hair. Audrey tried to stop him but he pushed her into the dresser. She hit her head and fell to the floor. Courtney tried to get to her but James pushed her back onto the bed. He pressed his lips onto hers and traced his finger down her body.

Jason cursed at the top of his lungs when he saw that the building was empty. He kicked the door shut and took off in the direction of Sonny's car. Sonny wasn't far behind him. They got to the car and looked at the list again. The next place wasn't very far from here. Sonny started the car and took off again. The silence in the car was almost too much to bear for Sonny but he didn't want to say the wrong thing to Jason. Instead of talking he pushed the pedal down and drove as fast as he could to their next destination.

James ripped Courtney's shirt open and began kissing down her stomach. She tried to pull away but he had her pinned. The only thing she could do was close her eyes and pray for it to be over soon. He got to the top of her pants and stopped. He kissed her lips one more time before handcuffing her to the bed and making his way towards Audrey. He didn't want Courtney. He just wanted to be ready for Audrey. Courtney's stomach dropped as she watched James make his way to an unconscious Audrey. He stood above her and picked her limp body off of the floor. He carried her to the other bed and laid her down. He took off his shirt before positioning himself on top of her.

Sonny screeched to a stop in front of their next stop. Jason was all ready out of the car before Sonny turned the ignition off. There were numerous doors that they could go through. They just had to figure out which to go through first. Jason noticed a light on underneath one of the doors and made his way towards it. He stood on one side of the door while Sonny occupied the other side.

James laid kisses all over Audrey's body. In the process he has somehow managed to take her shirt off. Courtney had to look away. She couldn't stand to watch James hurt Audrey again. James made his way down to Audrey's pants and slowly started unbuttoning them. She started to stir which made James even more excited. He wanted Audrey to be awake for this.

Jason nodded his head at Sonny before bursting through the door. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him.

James was in the middle of taking off Audrey's pants when he heard footsteps outside the door. He quietly got off of the bed and grabbed the gun that was on the nightstand. Just as he cocked his gun the door flew open to reveal Jason and Sonny. Courtney let out a sigh of relief when she saw Jason's face.

Both men had their guns aimed. Jason quickly looked in Audrey's direction and then Courtney's before setting his sights on James. "Sonny, get them out of here." Audrey had woken from all the noise and was now watching the scene before her. She felt someone Sonny gently grab her arm but she pulled away. She had to get Courtney out of the handcuffs. Her eyes searched the room as she looked for the keys. She finally spotted something shiny near James' foot. She knew she had to get Courtney out of there so she made a run towards the keys.

"Audrey don't!" Courtney yelled but it was too late. Audrey grabbed the keys and made her run back but felt something pull at her hair. She cried out in pain and flew back into James' chest. Jason's heart dropped. Audrey looked at Jason who had worry painted across his face. She then looked at Sonny and moved her hands so that he could see the shiny silver key shimmering in her hands. He slightly nodded his head and Audrey wiggled her arm out of James' grasp and tossed Sonny the key.

Sonny caught the key and climbed over the first bed to get to Courtney. He uncuffed her and gave her his jacket so she could cover up. He led her to the door made his way back inside for Audrey. Courtney stood just outside the door waiting for Sonny to come back. Jason had the look of death on his face as he stared at James. Not only had this monster kidnapped his daughter, but now he had his hands all over her. He would kill that tonight.

James looked smugly at Jason. He knew that it killed the hitman to see him touching his daughter. He was loving every minute of this. Jason would never shoot if it would put Audrey in danger. She was his ticket out of there. As he was thinking of the best way out he heard the man, that he was assuming was Sonny, speak. "Let her go, Woods. Be a man and face Jason. Why are you hiding behind a girl?"

Jason listened as Sonny tried to goad James into letting Audrey go. He didn't plan on saying a word. He was just waiting for the perfect time to put a bullet in James' head.

James thought about what Sonny had said and how he could make it work to his advantage. If he could throw Audrey into Jason then he could get a shot off before Jason could. If he hit Audrey in the process then that was something he would have to live with. He figured it out in his head before executing his plan. He cocked the gun with one hand while he grabbed a handful of Audrey's hair with the other. He shoved her towards Jason with all his might.

Jason saw Audrey flying towards him and stepped to the side before she ran into him. Sonny caught Audrey and started to lead her out of the room. "NO! Sonny put me down! I can't leave him. DAD!" Sonny picked her up kicking and screaming and carried her out of the room. He grabbed Courtney and they made their way to the car. They had barely made it out of the room when the sound of two gunshots filled their ears.


	26. Waiting

"DAD!" Audrey tried to run back into the motel room but Sonny had a tight grip on her. "Let go of me, Sonny! I have to get to him! What if he's hurt?" "We can't take the chance that James could hurt you too. We have to wait." "Sonny, I can't wait. What if…what if he's bleeding? What if he's dying?" Sonny's heart clenched for the girl. "Audrey, your dad is strong. He'll be okay."

Courtney couldn't hear Sonny or Audrey. She stumbled backwards and leaned on the car. She felt like she couldn't breathe. She put her head in her hands and cried like she had so many times 4 years ago. No matter how many times she had done this it didn't make it any easier.

"Sonny please, please let me go. No one has come out of that room. What if they're both hurt? What if…" Audrey stopped when she saw a figure walk out of the room. Audrey broke down when she saw who it was. Sonny dropped to the ground with her.

Courtney looked up when she saw Sonny and Audrey fall to the ground. She moved her gaze to where they were looking and let out a sob.

Jason walked over to where Audrey was and knelt down. He pulled her into his arms which made her start crying harder. "Shh…it's okay. It's over. He's never going to hurt you again." Jason rocked her back and forth until she started to calm down. She pulled back from him and looked up at his face. "Is he… is James dead?" Jason nodded. Audrey let out a sob of relief. Jason hugged her one more time before putting her back into Sonny's arms and walking over to where Courtney was standing.

She looked so pitiful standing there. Jason stopped in front of her and wiped away the tears that were still falling. Courtney looked into his eyes then threw herself into his arms. He grabbed her as tightly as he could and held on for dear life. They didn't need to say a word to each other. They both knew how the other felt.

Audrey pulled away from Sonny and stood up, walking towards the motel. Courtney saw where she was headed and turned Jason in her direction. Jason let go of Courtney and went after his daughter. He caught up to her and stopped her. "Audrey, that's a bad idea." She didn't look at him. She kept her eyes focused on the open door. "I have to see him. I have to make sure that he's…" Jason interrupted her. "I'm sure. I checked. He's gone, Audrey. He can't hurt you anymore." Audrey looked up at her father. She trusted him. If he said that James was dead then she could finally be at peace. She nodded her head and let him lead her away from the motel. She turned around and looked once more towards the door before getting into the car.

Sonny got in the driver's seat and backed the car out of the parking lot and towards Port Charles. They didn't get very far down the road when they saw police cars and ambulances heading towards the motel. Jason looked over at Sonny. "Someone must have heard the gunshots." Sonny nodded. "Let's hope whoever heard them didn't see you come out of the room.

Audrey was looking out the back window when a memory struck her. "Dad!" Jason whipped around, alarmed. "What is it? Are you okay?" She looked over at Courtney who figured out where she was going with this. "James wasn't working alone. He had some inside help." She stopped talking and thought about the best way to tell her father. Little did she know that Jason and Sonny all ready knew who James' secret partner was. They let her finish anyway. "When we first got to the hotel James left the adjoining door open slightly and we heard him talking to a woman. It was Sam, Dad. Sam has been helping him all along." Courtney chimed in now. "We heard her laughing. Neither of us saw her but we know it was her." Jason nodded. "You're right." Audrey and Courtney looked at each other in surprise. "You knew?" "She talked the guards at the safe house into letting her check on you two. That's how they got you out." Audrey didn't know what to say. "Do you think she was still at the motel?" Jason shook his head. "I doubt it. Sam is pretty smart. She probably went back to Port Charles to come up with an alibi or something." "Jason, she can't get away with this." "She won't."

Audrey didn't know what her father was thinking but she was all ready coming up with her own ways of making Sam pay. They drove the rest of the way in silence. Each person had to deal with what happened in their own way.

They got back to Port Charles and Sonny dropped his three passengers off at Harbor View Towers. Jason had called Noah before they left so he knew that Audrey was okay. Audrey walked into the penthouse and let out a gasp as she saw Noah waiting for her. She ran straight into his arms burying her head in his neck. He kissed her head and all over her face just making sure she was really there.

They were so lost in their own little world that they didn't even hear Jason and Courtney walk into the penthouse. "Noah, I missed you so much. I couldn't wait to be back in your arms again." Noah kissed her head. "No one is ever going to take you out of them again." Noah and Audrey held on to each other tight as they made their way up to Audrey's room.

Jason looked on after her with worry. Courtney walked over to him and put her head on his shoulder. "She'll be okay, Jase. She's your daughter in every way that counts. She's strong. She just needs a little time." Jason looked back at the woman he loved. "I'm just worried what she'll do if she sees Sam." Courtney nodded. "I'll just have to make sure someone stays with her at all times so she doesn't do anything stupid."

Audrey and Noah changed their clothes and lay down in her bed. She was facing the window and his arms were wrapped around her stomach. Noah quickly fell asleep but Audrey stayed awake thinking of all the things she wanted to do to Sam if she saw her. She would have to be smart about this. She had to sneak away from whoever her dad put on her because he would, no doubt, put someone on her. She would have to confront Sam someplace mildly quiet. She couldn't go off on her in the middle of General Hospital or Kelly's. And most importantly, if things got ugly, she had to make sure that she couldn't be accused of any of it. Audrey smiled as she drifted off the sleep finalizing what she was going to do to Sam.


	27. Revenge

Audrey woke up early the next morning to Noah brushing her hair out of her face. She looked up at him and smiled. "Good morning." He kissed her forehead. "Good morning, beautiful. How would you like to spend the day with me?" "Hmm…I would love too. But I have to meet Courtney for lunch. Can we meet up after?" "Sure. Just come over to my apartment whenever. I'll be there all day." Audrey sat up and kissed Noah. "I have to get in the shower. I'll see you later." Noah pulled Audrey out of the bed and pulled her into his arms. Audrey snuggled into Noah's shoulder. "I love you." Noah pulled away slightly and looked down at Audrey. "What did you say?" Audrey looked up and smiled at him. "I said I love you." Noah leaned down and kissed her. "I love you too. I've wanted to say that to you for a long time but I never got the chance." "Well, I beat you to it. But I really do have to get in the shower or I'll be late. I'll see you in a couple hours. I love you." "I love you too." Noah kissed her one more time before walking out of her room.

Audrey sat down on the bed and sighed. She felt bad about lying to Noah. But she knew if she told him what she was really doing he would try to stop her and she had to do this. She had to make Sam pay for what she did. Audrey stood up and went into her bathroom to get ready for the day. She still had some plans to finalize before she put them into action.

Audrey walked out of her bathroom and down the stairs of the penthouse. She was alone. She figured she would be. Courtney was probably at her office and Jason was probably with Sonny. It was better that she would leave unnoticed. She walked over to the desk and looked down. There sat a letter scrawled in Jason's handwriting.

_Audrey, I had to go to work for a little bit. I'll be home this afternoon. If you go anywhere, Marco will be accompanying you. Love, Dad._ Well, so much for completely unnoticed, Audrey thought. She walked over to the door and peeked through the hole. There stood Marco, all 6'5 of him. She turned around and walked to the couch trying to figure out how she was going to lose him for long enough to confront Sam.

She sat there thinking for ten minutes before she finally thought of a good plan. She stood up from the couch and walked over to the door. She opened it and stuck her head out. "Hey, Marco. Would it be possible for you to grab me some breakfast? I'm starving." Marco shook his head. "I'm sorry, Miss Audrey but you father told me I was not to let you out of my sight." Audrey giggled. "Marco I'm out of your sight when I'm in the penthouse." The big guard blushed slightly. "You know what I mean." Audrey nodded her head. "It's just that my dad doesn't have anything to eat and I don't really feel like going anywhere after what I've been through. I promise I won't leave the penthouse and I'll keep the door locked. And I won't open the door for anyone that I don't know. Please, Marco." Marco looked around then sighed. "Okay, Miss Audrey. But you cannot leave the penthouse." "I won't. I promise."

Marco nodded his head and walked towards the elevator. He hit the button and waited for the doors to open before looking back at Audrey and stepping on. Audrey waited for the elevator to move down a floor before she grabbed her purse and headed towards the staircase. She made it down to the first floor and made sure the coast was clear before she opened the door and walked out of the building.

She made a right when she walked out of Harborview Towers and headed towards her destination. She walked for five blocks before she arrived at Sam's apartment. She looked up at the tall building before entering. She walked over to the mailboxes to see what floor Sam lived on. She searched the six rows of small boxes before finally finding Sam's name. She smiled to herself and walked towards the staircase. She couldn't take the chance that the elevators had video cameras so she ran up the nine flights of stairs to Sam's floor.

Audrey looked through the small window to see if anyone was around. She stood in the staircase for twenty minutes before Sam's door opened and Sam headed towards the elevator. _So it begins_, Audrey thought as she took off down the stairs.

Audrey pulled the hood on her sweatshirt low on her face so Sam wouldn't be able to see her face. She waited until the elevator doors opened before she walked out of the staircase. Sam walked off of the elevator and out the front door of her building. She turned right out of her building and started walking down the street. Audrey walked out a few seconds after Sam turning in the same direction. She maintained a good distance between herself and Sam. Sam was smart, she knew. She didn't want to ignite suspicion in her.

After some time walking, Sam crossed the street and walked into the sliding doors of General Hospital. Audrey looked down both ways of the street before jogging across the road entering the cool air of the hospital. As soon as she walked in the door she spotted Sam step onto the elevator and turn around. Audrey whipped around so Sam wouldn't be able to see her face. When the elevator doors closed Audrey turned back around to see what floor Sam was going too. The elevator stopped on the fifth floor so Audrey pushed the button and waited for the car to come back down.

She stepped onto the elevator and pushed the button for the fifth floor. She kept her head down and waited for the car to reach her floor. She stepped off when it stopped and looked around the waiting room. There were nurses and doctors running all over the place. _This is where Sam should be._ Audrey thought. _But not by choice._ Audrey walked a few steps before catching a glimpse of Sam on the other side of the desk. She was talking to the hospital administrator. Audrey walked on around the desk, opposite of the way Sam was facing. She stopped a few feet behind her and pretended to be looking through some pamphlets.

"Please, Miss Sneed. I really need this job." The administrator laughed. "Ms. McCall there is no way I am going to give you a job with your resume and obvious ties to organized crime. It's not the kind of image I want to promote for this hospital." Sam looked down before speaking again. "But I'll only be filing papers. I'll be in the background. No one will even be able to see me." Audrey inwardly chuckled listening to Sam plead. "I'm sorry, Ms. McCall. I'm not giving you a job."

Miss Sneed walked away and Sam cursed her under her breath. "Bitch. I can't believe she won't give me a job." Sam stood there for a few more seconds before entering the same elevator she rode up on. Audrey grabbed a few more pamphlets before taking off towards the staircase. She didn't want to chance losing Sam. Audrey got to the first floor before the elevator did and decided to wait for Sam outside. It would look too suspicious if she was hanging around in front of the elevator.

She sat down on the concrete blocks in front of the hospital and again pretended to read one of her pamphlets. Sam walked out right after Audrey looked down at the paper in front of her and headed in the direction of Kelly's. Audrey hopped down from her seat and took off after Sam. She didn't follow too closely this trip because she knew that Sam would be going to Kelly's. That's always where she went when she was having a bad day. Audrey walked up to the little diner, looked through the window and sure enough, she saw Sam sitting at a table with her back to Audrey. Instead of going inside, Audrey decided to sit at a table outside.

Georgie walked up to the table to see if Audrey wanted anything to eat. She shook her head no and just ordered water. Georgie walked away and Audrey pulled out her cell phone, dialing Noah's number. He picked up after one ring. **"Hello, gorgeous."** Audrey smiled. "Hey, you. What are you doing?" **"Just counting the minutes until I get to see you. What are you doing?"** Audrey looked down and frowned. "Oh, just waiting for Courtney. She's running a little late." She felt so bad for lying to Noah. It was tearing her apart. **"Well, do you want me to come keep you company while you wait for her?"** "No!" Audrey took a deep breath and regained some composure. "I mean, I don't want you to get here and see that Courtney's all ready here. I don't mind waiting as long as I can talk to you on the phone." **"Oh, okay. Well I can stay on the phone with you as long as you like."**

They stayed on the phone for a little while longer until Sam walked out of the diner. Audrey turned her head in the other direction so once again, Sam couldn't see her face. Sam walked through the gate and made a right towards the docks. Audrey smiled to herself. _Perfect._ She told Noah that Courtney had arrived and that she had to go. She flipped the phone shut and ran the same path that Sam had taken not two minutes earlier.

She made it to the docks and paused at the top. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to do. She started down the steps. "I'm surprised you had the nerve to show your face around here after what you did." Sam looked towards Audrey and rolled her eyes before looking back out towards the water. "And what exactly did I do?" Audrey walked closer to Sam. "Don't play dumb with me, Sam! You helped my psychotic step-father kidnap and torture me and Courtney. I knew you were desperate and pathetic but I never thought you would be so cold. I could be dead right now and it would be all your fault! Do you even care?" Sam didn't bother to look it Audrey's direction. "You must be a little confused, Audrey. Did you hit your head when you were kidnapped? I was at Jake's all night."

Audrey grabbed Sam's arm and spun her so they were face to face before slapping her across the face. "You lying bitch! You went to him and you told him where I was! You brought him into this town! You lied your way into that safe house so he could kidnap us!" Sam tried to look away but Audrey grabbed her face and kept it facing her. "You knew that my dad would never love you while Courtney was around so you made a two for one deal. If he got her out of the way you would what?! Sleep with him?" Sam pulled her face out of Audrey's grasp and shoved her backwards. "I did what I had to do! You're father cheated on me and left me for the only woman that I have ever been scared of. I needed to get him back, I'm not gonna apologize for that! Audrey scoffed. "You're pathetic. And now, I'm gonna make you pay!"

Audrey lunges at Sam, knocking her onto the docks. Sam's head hits the wood and she screams out in pain. Audrey quickly covers Sam's mouth with her hand. Sam uses all the strength she has to shove Audrey off of her. Audrey flies backwards and almost falls into the water. Both women scramble to stand up. Sam tries to run but Audrey catches up to her. She grabs the back of Sam's shirt and pulls her back down the stairs. Audrey spins Sam around so they are face to face. She cocks her arm back and thrusts it forward as hard as she can into Sam's nose. Sam cries out and stumbles back, tripping over the leg of the bench. Sam's head smacks against the bench and she falls to the ground limp. Audrey walks over to her and leans down so their faces are inches apart. "Stay away from my family."


	28. More Than Okay

Jason is walking towards the docks when he hears commotion and a loud thud. He quickly pulls his gun out of his waistband and cautiously approaches the landing. He peeks around the corner and sees Audrey leaning over Sam. He quickly puts his gun back before running towards his daughter. "Audrey!" He reaches her and wraps his arms around her waist pulling her away from his ex-girlfriend. "Audrey stop." She thrashes around, trying to wiggle out of his arms. "Stop. This is not the way to go about this!" Audrey whips around and Jason continues to hold her arms so she can't go anywhere. "She needs to pay for what she did."

Audrey looks toward Sam who's lying unconscious. "Audrey, look at me." Audrey waits a second before she pulls her eyes toward her fathers face. "She will pay. But you're not going to be the one to do it. I told you I would handle it." Audrey looks away as tears start to form behind her eyes. "I know and I'm sorry but I was just so angry that I couldn't see straight. I couldn't…I couldn't let her get away with it. I was scared that if you took too long that she would get away." Jason lifts Audrey's face up and wipes her tears away before pulling her into a hug. "I know. I know. But, Audrey you need to leave before someone comes walking by. I'll have Max deal with this." Audrey nods her head into his chest. "Okay. I'm going to go to Noah's." Audrey hugs Jason tighter before letting go and stepping back. "That's a good idea. I'll call you later. And we'll talk later about you ditching your guard. Audrey nods her head. "I love you." "I love you too."

Audrey looks down at Sam one more time before turning around and walking up the stairs. Jason waits for her to leave before pulling out his cell phone. He calls Noah first and lets him know that Audrey is on her way to his apartment and that if anyone asks she was there all afternoon. He calls Max next and asks him to get to the docks as quickly as he can.

Audrey arrives at Noah's apartment and pauses outside his door. She takes a deep breath before timidly raising her hand and knocking on his door. He opens it a minute later and moves out of her way so she can enter. Audrey sets her purse down on his table. "Noah, there's something I have to tell you." Noah shuts the door and turns toward her. "You went after Sam today." Audrey slowly turns around and looks at Noah. "How did you know?" "Jason called me. And by the way if anyone asks you were here with me all afternoon." Audrey let out a cynical laugh. "Of course I was." "Now is not the time to get smart about this life, Audrey! You lied to me! You looked me in the eye and told me that you were having lunch with Courtney today and instead you put yourself at risk by attacking Sam. What if someone had seen you?"

Audrey looked down. "I know. I know and Noah I am sorry that I lied to you. But I'm not sorry that I went after her. And I knew that if I told you, you would try to stop me…" "Of course I would have stopped you, Audrey. That was a stupid idea!" Audrey looked back up with fire in her eyes. "She helped James kidnap me! If Jason hadn't shown up when he did, James would have raped me! Again!" Noah takes a deep breath and walks toward Audrey. He pulls her into his arms and hugs her tight. "Audrey, I hate Sam just as much as you do for what she did. I want her punished too but Jason told you he would take care of it. Why didn't you trust him?" "I know that he would have done something. But what if he just sent her away? That's not punishment. She needs to pay the same way that James paid." "You should know that Jason would never let someone get away with hurting his family. Not only did Sam put you at risk, she dragged Courtney into it. He would do anything to protect you."

Audrey breaks down and collapses onto Noah's couch. "You're right. I know that you're right. I should have trusted that my dad would do everything in his power to take care of Sam. Noah, I'm so sorry about lying to you. I love you so much and I promise to never lie to you again. Please forgive me." Noah sits down next to Audrey and takes her in his arms. "There's nothing to forgive. You did what you thought you had to do. I wish that you had trusted in me enough to come to me but you were scared. I love you too." He kisses her on her head and she leans back into his chest. "Whatever happens, Audrey, we're gonna get through it together."

Jason is facing the water when Max arrives. "Hey, Boss. What can I do for you?" Jason turns around to face his trusted employee. He points to Sam's still unconscious body. "I need you to take care of her…discreetly. Audrey attacked her today and I need you to get rid of all evidence that can be traced back to her." Max nods his head. "Yes, Boss." Jason starts to walk past Max when he hears the guards' voice. "Boss, when you say take care of her do you mean…" "Yes. She's a threat. And you know what we do to threats." Jason doesn't even wait for Max to respond before he takes the stairs two at a time on his way to Noah's apartment.

Jason stops off to pick up Courtney before going to Noah's. They arrive at the apartment and knock on the door. Noah answers the door a moment later and ushers them inside. "Hey Jason, Courtney." Courtney smiles at Noah and pats him on the arm. "Hey, Noah. How are you?" Noah shrugs his shoulders. "I've had better days." Jason walks over to the couch where Audrey is sleeping and rubs her hair. "How is she?" "Better. She's calmed down. She knows that she shouldn't have gone after Sam today." Jason looks down at Audrey as she starts to stir. She rolls over and sees three pairs of eyes staring back at her. "Hey, guys. What are doing here?" Courtney walks over to the couch and Audrey sits up so she can sit. "We came to check on you. We were worried about you, honey." Audrey nods her head. "Courtney, I'm really sorry that I dragged you into this by saying I was having lunch with you. I never should have brought your name into it." Courtney smiles at her. "It's okay. We've all done things that we thought were right. You never have to apologize to me. We're family."

Jason stands back and admires the relationship between his daughter and the love of his life. "No, you're not." Everyone stops and looks over at Jason. Courtney slowly stands up. "Jason, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to pressure you or anything. I just meant that…" Jason kisses Courtney to cut her off. "You didn't let me finish. You're not her mother, yet. But you will be." Jason kneels down on one knee and Courtney and Audrey gasp. Audrey jumps up and runs over to Noah, wrapping herself in his arms. They all watch the scene before them unfold. "Courtney, I love you so much. I threw away my first chance with you but I will never let you go again. I want you to be my wife, legally this time." Courtney giggles. "I want to wake up to you every morning and I want to have children with you. Will you marry me?" Courtney lets out a sob before kneeling down with Jason. "My answer is the same as it was before and the same as it will be in the future. Yes! Yes, of course I will marry you!"

Jason pulls Courtney into his arms and hugs her tight. "I love you so much." She kisses him. "I love you too." Audrey turns around in Noah's arms and hugs him. "I can't believe my dad is getting married." Noah tightens his grip on Audrey. "Yeah, I've never seen him this happy. He deserves it."

Jason and Courtney finish their moment and stand up to face Audrey and Noah. Audrey runs over to Courtney and hugs her before throwing herself in her fathers' arms. "I am so happy for you. You deserve this more than anyone I have ever met. And I don't know if it matters or if you care but I give you my complete blessing." Jason pushes Audrey gently away from him. "Of course it matters to me. Audrey, I would never bring anyone into our family that you weren't completely comfortable with. And I would never start another family without talking to you about it." "Dad, Dad I know that. I want you to have more kids. I will never feel like you don't love me because I know that you do. I can't wait for you guys to get married! We have to celebrate tonight! How does dinner at the Metro Court sound?" Courtney goes to stand by Jason and wraps her arm around his back. "It sounds perfect. We'll meet you guys there at 7:00. And I'll call Sonny and Carly to see if they want to come too. We should go get ready. We'll see you later."

The foursome says goodbye to each other and Jason and Courtney leave the apartment. Audrey whirls around and looks at Noah. "Wow. I get to see my dad get married. How many daughters can say that?" Noah chuckles. "Not many. We've been through a lot these past few months but everything is working out the way it should. We're going to be okay." Audrey smiles at Noah. "We're going to be better than okay."


	29. Preparations

Audrey and Noah arrive at the MetroCourt the same time as Jason and Courtney. The foursome all greet each other before walking into the restaurant of the hotel. Courtney gasps when she sees the sight in front of her. Carly had the room decorated beautifully. There were lights stranded throughout the ceiling and flowers on every table. There was also a private party sign sitting on one of the tables. Courtney smiles widely as Carly and Sonny walk into the room.

"Carly you are amazing! I can't believe you did this for us. Again!" "Oh, girl this is so worth it, seeing my two best friends getting married again. I would do anything for you guys." Jason steps forward and hugs his best friend. "We know that." Jason walks over to Sonny and shakes his hand before hugging him. "I'm going to treat her right this time." Sonny pats Jason on his back. "I know. You love her." Audrey steps forward and hugs Carly and Sonny before the six friends sit down at their table.

Carly looks around at her family. These were the people that meant the most to her. Excluding, Jax and her boys, of course. She would do anything for all of these people. Even Sonny. They were on good terms lately. "Audrey, what do you think about your Dad and Courtney getting married?" Audrey gave a small smile. "I couldn't be happier. I love Courtney, almost as much as I love my mother. I couldn't have imagined a better step-mother than her." She looks over at Courtney who has tears in her eyes. "And my Dad deserves this so much. He is the most giving and understanding person that I have ever met. They belong together and I support them whole-heartedly." Jason reaches his arm across the table and grabs Audrey's hand, squeezing it slightly. "I love you, sweetheart." "I love you too, Dad."

Courtney looks over at Jason and he nods his head slightly before she turns her attention to Audrey. "Audrey, there's something that I want to ask you." "Okay." Audrey looks hesitantly between her father and Courtney. "Will you be my maid of honor?" Audrey's mouth drops open. "Yes! Yes, of course I will! I would be honored too." Audrey and Courtney stand up from the table and hug. "But wait a minute; shouldn't Carly be your maid of honor? She's your best friend." Carly waves her hand. "Nonsense. You're her soon-to-be daughter. And besides, I've all ready had the pleasure of that position. Now you get to help plan the wedding." The three women laugh as the men look on.

The men and the women separate after they eat. The women sit at the bar and discuss dresses and flowers and food while the men stay at the table and talk about business. Jason looks at the two men in front of him. "Nothing bad can happen between now and the wedding. We have to make sure that no one is planning on popping up as a surprise guest. Courtney deserves the wedding of her dreams." Sonny and Noah nod. "You both deserve this day. No one's wedding should be interrupted. We'll make sure nothing happens." Noah agrees.

Audrey takes a sip of her champagne, that Jason is allowing her to drink tonight, before flipping a page of the bridal magazine. "What kind of dress are you looking for, Courtney?" Courtney shrugs. "I don't need anything fancy. I've been through this four times all ready." The women laugh. "I just want a simple wedding in front of our closest family and friends." Carly laughs. "This is the last wedding you will ever have. You might as well go all out." Courtney looks at her best friend and smiles. "I agree with Carly, Court. This is the man of your dreams; you may as well vow to spend your life with him at the wedding of your dreams." Finally, after some coaxing Courtney agrees. They decide to table the wedding plans for another day so they can spend the rest of the night with the men.

Carly quietly excuses herself from the table to go turn on some music. Jason smiles to himself when he hears the soft melody. 'Only Carly', he thinks. He stands up from his chair and holds his hand out to Courtney. She smiles and places her hand in his and allows him to lead her to the dance floor. Noah quickly follows suit. Carly and Sonny stand back and watch the two couples glide across the floor.

After hours of talking and dancing the six friends say good-bye and go their separate ways. The women make plans to go to lunch so they can discuss wedding plans. They decide on tomorrow at Kelly's. They hug one more time before leaving.

Audrey walks into Noah's bedroom and collapses on the bed. Noah smiles down at her. "Are you tired?" She nods. "Planning a wedding is hard." Noah laughs. "And you haven't even started yet." Audrey giggles and stands up. "I hope it's easier when we get married." Noah pulls her into his arms. "It will be." They change their clothes and climb into bed quickly falling asleep.

Audrey wakes early the next morning to get ready to meet Carly and Courtney. She gets out of the shower and slips into her jeans and tank top before drying her hair. She walks out of the bathroom and sees Noah still asleep in his bed. She smiles down at him and kisses him on the head. He mumbles something before rolling over. She shakes her head and walks into his kitchen. She's only in there a minute before she feels arms wrap around her body. She smiles and leans her head back against Noah's chest. "You didn't have to get up." "I wanted too. I wanted to see you before you immerse yourself in wedding details. Who knows when I'll see you again." Audrey laughs and turns around in his arms. "You will see me tonight. When you come over to Jason's penthouse and spend the night with me." Noah tilts his head. "I think I can do that." Audrey smiles at him and kisses him. She looks at her watch over his shoulder and moans. "I have to go. If I'm late, Carly will kill me. I love you." "I love you too. I'll call you later." She nods before grabbing a jacket and walking out the door.

Audrey arrives at Kelly's to find Carly's and Courtney's heads buried in _Modern Bride_. She smiles before sitting down at their table. "So, what have we decided on so far?" Carly and Courtney both look up and mutter 'nothing' at the same time. Audrey giggles and shakes her head. "You only have a week before the big day. You have to make some decisions." Courtney glares at Audrey. "Well, if someone had shown up on time maybe more decisions would have been made." Audrey tried hard not to laugh. "I'm sorry. I'm here now. What do you need?" Courtney throws a magazine at Audrey. "Pick your dress." Audrey starts to say something before Carly throws her a look to keep quiet.

Audrey smiles and starts flipping through the magazine in front of her. It only takes her ten minutes before she finds the dress she wants. She marks the page and slams the magazine shut. Courtney looks ups and lets out a cynical laugh. "No way. You can not know what you want after only ten minutes. I have been here for an hour and haven't even picked a bouquet." Audrey smiles. "There isn't as much pressure on me. I found the perfect dress." She turns the magazine around and shows Courtney the dress. She gasps. "I love it. This is going to look gorgeous on you." Courtney smiles but tears start to flow from her eyes. Audrey jumps up from her chair goes to Courtney. "Court, what's the matter?" "You found your dress in ten minutes. I have looked through these magazines twice and I can't find anything." Carly wraps her arms around her best friend. "Honey, you will. We'll help you. You don't have to do this alone. We'll help you. I'll look for the flowers, Audrey can look for the cake, and you look for your dress." Courtney wipes the tears from her eyes. "Okay."

After three more hours of searching they finalize the last detail. Courtney sighs in relief. "I can't believe we just planned my entire wedding in four hours. I couldn't have done this without you guys. Thank you so much." Audrey smiles at Courtney. "You're welcome." Carly squeezes Courtney's hand. "You're wedding is going to be beautiful." Courtney looks out the window and smiles. "It's going to be perfect."


	30. You May Kiss Your Bride

Audrey and Carly step back from Courtney and smile. "You look gorgeous, Courtney." Courtney smiles. "Thank you, Audrey. You look beautiful as well." Carly huffs. "Well, gee thanks guys. 'You look nice too, Carly.'" Audrey and Courtney laugh. "Carly, you look wonderful. That dress looks fabulous on you." Carly rolls her eyes dramatically. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." All three women laugh.

Audrey walks away from the full-length mirror and sits down at the vanity. Courtney smoothes the invisible wrinkles in her dress for the millionth time. "Court, honey, your dress is perfect. It's not wrinkled, okay?" Courtney gives Carly a look in the mirror. "I just want to look beautiful for Jason." "You all ready do." Courtney smiles and looks back at her reflection.

Jason is fiddling with his tie when Sonny walks in. "It's been four years and you still don't know how to tie a tie." Jason looks back at Sonny. "It's been four years since I've worn a tie. When would I have learned?" "Good point." Jason turns around and allows Sonny to tie his tie. "Are you nervous?" "Just anxious. I can't wait to be married to her again." There's a knock on the door before it opens and Noah slips his head in. "How's it going in here?" "Jason's nervous." Jason shoots Sonny a nasty look which make Noah laugh. "I'm not nervous. We've done this before." Jason slips his jacket on and turns back around to view himself in the mirror.

Sonny slaps Jason on the back before leaving the room to check on Courtney. He runs into Audrey on the way who is on her way to see her Dad. "Audrey," Sonny says when he sees her. "You look beautiful." Audrey blushes slightly. "Thank you. You don't look half bad yourself." Sonny flashes his famous smile. "Yeah, I clean up quite nice." Audrey laughs. "How's my Dad?" "He's anxious. He doesn't like the whole public display of affection." Audrey laughs. "I know. But he would do anything for Courtney." Sonny nods. "Yes, he would. Well, I should go visit the bride-to-be before this thing starts." "Yeah, I want some time alone with my Dad before this whole thing starts." Audrey starts to walk away when she hears Sonny's voice. "You're okay with this, right?" Audrey turns around slowly. "I love Courtney. And I do want my Dad to be happy. But a part of me is scared that because I'm so old, if they have kids, I'll just fade out. I mean I haven't known him for very long and…" Sonny walks over to her and grabs her arms. "Okay, let me stop you there. It doesn't matter if your Father has known you for nineteen years, nineteen days, or nineteen minutes. He loves you with his whole heart. He will put you above everyone in his life, including Courtney. You are his first born and you will always hold a special place in his heart. Even if he has ten more kids, he will never make you feel like you're an outsider. He will do everything he can to make you feel loved."

Audrey wipes a tear from her eye. "I know, I know. I don't know why I thought that. It's just a habit, I guess. After a while everyone kind of forgets about me." "Not this time." Audrey hugs Sonny and walks to Jason's room. She knocks lightly and waits to hear him tell her to come in. She opens the door slowly and walks in. She sees Jason struggling to button his sleeves and laughs. "Do you need some help?" He looks up his breath catches. "You look beautiful." "Thank you." She smiles and walks over to him, buttoning each sleeve.

She stands back and looks up at her dad with tears in her eyes. "Audrey, what's the matter?" She smiles and shakes her head. "Nothing." "Audrey, don't do that. You can tell me anything." "I'm so happy for you and Courtney. And I love you both so, so much. I just can't help my stupid insecurities. Everyone in my life has abandoned me and I couldn't stand to lose you. I know you love me. But if you have a baby then he or she will need so much attention and I'll be so much older that you may not pay attention to me. It's stupid and juvenile, I know. But I can't help the way I feel." Jason pulls Audrey into her arms and kisses her head. "Audrey, I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. You are my daughter, my only child and I love you more than anything in this world. If or when I have anymore children I will talk to you first to make sure that you are completely comfortable. I will never let you down and I will never abandon you. I love you."

Audrey wipes the tears from her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I'm okay now. And I promise not to have another breakdown." "You can always breakdown with me. I'll make sure to pick you up." Audrey smiles and hugs Jason as someone knocks on the door. Noah pops his head in and looks at the scene before him. He walks over to Audrey and kisses her before looking to Jason. "It's time." Jason nods and hugs Audrey again. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, go. Go marry the woman you love."

Sonny opens Courtney's door. "Knock, knock." Courtney turns around and smiles widely. "Hey, big brother." "Are you ready for round two?" Courtney laughs. "Yes. This time we're gonna win, though." He walks over and hugs her. "Do I even need to tell you how beautiful you look?" She giggles. "It would be nice." Sonny smiles. "You look beautiful. I have something for you." Courtney tilts her head. "Sonny, you've done enough for me. You didn't have to get me anything." "Of course I did. You're my baby sister." He takes a box out of his jacket pocket and hands it to Courtney. She takes it from his hand and opens it. She gasps at the sight in front of her. It's a diamond ring. "Sonny this is beautiful." He looks at it. "It was my mother's. She would have loved for you to have it. And from listening to Carly you need something old, new, borrowed and blue. This can be your something old and new. It's new to you and old to me." Courtney wipes a stray tear. "Oh, Sonny, thank you so much." She hugs him. "Now get out of here before you make me cry." He smiles and walks toward the door. "I'll see you in a little bit."

Carly smiles at Sonny as he leaves Courtney's room before turning her attention to the bride. "Okay, now it's time to get down to business. We only have a few more minutes and we have to get you something old, something new, something borrowed and…" Courtney holds up her hand and stops Carly. "My something old and new is covered." Carly grabs her hand and takes a closer look at the ring. "Adella's. He's wanted to give this to you for a long time." Courtney looks back down at her hand. "I still need something borrowed and something blue." Carly smiles and walks to the vanity picking up a box. These are your something borrowed. Courtney opens the box to a pair of diamond, drop earrings. "Carly, you wore these in your last wedding to Sonny. I can't use these." Carly huffs. "Of course you can. They will look fabulous with your dress. And if you lose them, I know where you live." The women laugh as Courtney puts the earrings on. "Okay, what about something blue?" "I have that covered." Courtney and Carly look towards the door to see Audrey standing there swinging a blue garter around her finger. Courtney laughs. "Well, I have everything I need to marry the man that I love. I'm ready." "Well that's good," Audrey starts. "Because it's time."

The women make their way to the front of the church. Mike is standing in front of the closed doors. "Are you ready, pumpkin?" Courtney nods. "I'm ready." The doors open and Carly makes her way down the aisle. She stops when she gets to the front of the church and kisses Jason before standing off to the side. Noah holds his arm out for Audrey and the couple makes their way down the aisle. They get to the front and he kisses her cheek before they go their separate ways. Jason steps down from the step he's on and pulls Audrey into a hug. "I love you, Audrey." "I love you too, Dad." He kisses her head and she goes to stand by Carly.

It's finally time for the bride and everyone stands as the back doors open. Jason's breath catches in his throat and his hand goes to his stomach when he sees Courtney. She flashes her smile at him and starts to make her way toward him. After what seems like forever she finally reaches Jason. He steps down once again and waits until Mike kisses Courtney before he takes her hand and leads her up to the priest.

Jason doesn't hear a word the priest says. He's too lost in Courtney. Sonny has to nudge him when it's time for him to say his vows. He takes a deep breath and looks down. "I promise to be your husband. To love and protect you. To honor and respect you. To always be the one that you can count on. For better or worse, for richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. As long as we both shall live." He wipes away Courtney's tears with his thumb. She smiles. "Jason. I promise to be your wife. To love and protect you. To honor and respect you. To always be the one you can come to. For better or worse, for richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. As long as we both shall live."

They put the rings on each other's fingers and anxiously look at the priest. "By the powers invested in me, by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Courtney lets out a sob. The priest looks at Jason. "You may kiss your bride." Jason leans down and kisses Courtney tenderly. "I love you so much." Courtney wipes the lip gloss off of Jason's lips. "I love you, too."


	31. The Start Of Something New

Jason and Courtney finally arrive at the MetroCourt after an hour and a half of pictures. Courtney's mouth hurts from all the smiling she's done and yet she can't seem to make herself stop. She looks up and Jason and he looks back down at her. He leans down to kiss her before opening the double doors.

Everyone cheers and welcomes the newlyweds when they walk through the door. Jason and Courtney go in separate directions thanking and hugging different people before meeting up with Audrey and Noah. Audrey and Noah take turns hugging Jason and Courtney. Audrey grabs Courtney's hand and squeezes it. "Congratulations, Mrs. Morgan." Courtney smiles. "Thank you, step-daughter." Audrey shakes her head. "Daughter." Tears fill both women's eyes and they hug tightly. "I was hoping you would say that." Audrey steps back into Noah's arms and watches Jason and Courtney walk away and mingle with the other guests.

"I'm proud of you, Audrey." She turns her head towards him. "For what?" "For handling this so well. I know this is hard for you. You're scared that you're going to lose him." Audrey nods her head. "I was. But I'm not now. Courtney would never try to push me out of his life like Sam did. And Jason and I talked about it and he reassured me that I will always be the most important person in his life. That's all I needed to hear." Noah drops his head down and kisses Audrey's hair. "You'll always be the most important person in my life too." Audrey wraps her arm around Noah's neck. "I love you." "I love you, too."

After talking to everyone Jason and Courtney finally get a chance to sit down. Everyone else follows suit. Audrey takes the chair on the other side of Jason and Noah takes the one next to her. Sonny and Carly sit on the other side of Courtney. The food is delivered and everyone talks quietly to the people around them. When the food is taken away Emily lifts her glass and taps it with her knife. Courtney giggles at the longtime tradition. She looks over at Jason and notices the pale blush in his cheeks. He clears his throat before turning to his bride and kissing her gently. Everyone cheers and Jason can't help but smile.

Audrey takes a deep breath before standing up and tapping her glass. All eyes turn towards her and she has to count to ten to calm down before starting her maid of honor speech. Noah rubs her back and she turns her head and smiles at him. She looks back out at the crowd and puts down her speech deciding to just speak from her heart. "I have never witnessed a greater love than the love that you two. When I am with you your love and happiness radiates and brightens the entire room. I haven't known…either of you for very long and yet I feel like I've known you both a lifetime. And I know that your lives don't work a part. You complete each other in the best ways." She stops to take a breath and looks over at Jason and then Courtney. "You guys are my inspiration in love. I strive to have the kind of love with Noah that you two share. I never really knew what love was until I met you, Dad. You have shown me what unconditional, pure love looks like and I will be forever grateful. I wish you two the very best. I love you both so much. I couldn't have asked for a better father…or mother. Congratulations." She raises her glass and everyone else does the same. "To Jason and Courtney. May this marriage last for the rest of your lives." Audrey smiles and brings her glass to her lips taking a long sip of champagne.

She sits back down and Noah puts his arm around her. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Audrey gives him a small smile. Courtney stands up and moves the few steps to Audrey. She smiles down at her and pulls her out of her chair embracing her tightly. "That was the most beautiful speech. Thank you so much." "I meant every word of it." Jason pushes his chair back and stands next to the two most important women in his life. He hugs Audrey before taking Courtney's hand and leading her onto the dance floor.

They stop in the middle of the floor and Courtney looks at him in amazement. "What are you doing?" "Dancing with my wife. I thought that was what I was supposed to do." "Well, yeah, but you hate dancing." "You love it." Courtney smiles and wraps her arms around Jason. She lays her head on his shoulder and allows him to lead her all around the dance floor.

After a few minutes other couples make their way to the floor. By the end of the song half of Port Charles is spinning and gliding across the floor. Audrey smiles as Noah spins her around. She looks up at Noah and sighs. "I like it here." Noah laughs. "Well, that's good." She smiles. "No, I really like it here. I want to live here forever. With you. With Jason and Courtney." Noah tightens his grip on Audrey's waist. "You don't know how glad I am to hear that. I was so scared that you were going to realize that you wanted something bigger and better than here. Than me." Audrey stops dancing and holds Noah's face between her hands. "There is nothing in this world better than you. You were there for me during two of the roughest parts of my life. When we were in the cellar you kept me sane. I wouldn't have survived that if it weren't for you. You complete me in the same way that my dad completes Courtney. I love you. I will always love you." Noah leans his head down and kisses Audrey.

Jason walks over to the young couple and taps Audrey on the shoulder. She looks his way and smiles. "May I have this dance, Miss Morgan?" "I was waiting for you to ask." Noah kisses her hand before giving it to Jason and watching as he leads her out to the dance floor. After a few seconds, Jason breaks the silence. "You know, it won't be too long before we'll be doing this again at your wedding." Audrey giggles. "Oh, Dad, we have a few years to go." "A few years go faster than you might think." "I really love him, Dad." Jason smiles. "I know you do. He loves you too. Trust me, I've made sure." Audrey laughs loudly. "That doesn't surprise me. How many times did you threaten bodily harm?" "A few." "I'm really happy you came around to him. He's really good to me." "Why do you think I haven't made good on any threats?" Audrey shakes her head.

"I'm so glad that I found you. I know that I said some terrible things to you when we first met and I want you to know that I didn't mean any of them and it makes me nauseous just thinking about how badly I hurt you." Tears start to form in her eyes. "I am your daughter through and through and I wouldn't change that for the world. Every good thing about me came from you. Don't get me wrong, I love Mom. But when I was with her, I was in pain. With you, I feel nothing but love and acceptance." The tears start to fall from her eyes and Jason wipes them away.

"You know that I'm not very good at feelings and talking but you are my greatest achievement. Before you I was good at one thing and that was my job. Now I feel like my life has purpose and meaning. I don't just drift through life now. You will never know how sorry I am that I missed out on so much of your life. I missed most of your big accomplishments but I will never miss a thing again. I will be there when you graduate college. I will walk you down the aisle and unwillingly give you away to Noah. I will be there when you experience the joys of having your own child. I will never let you down again." Courtney wipes away another tear. "You have never let me down. I love you so much." Jason hugs Audrey tightly. "I love you, too. Always remember that." He kisses her head and watches as she walks over to Noah.

Courtney comes up behind him and wraps her arm around his waist. "Are you ready?" Jason nods. Courtney hugs his waist before walking to the far side of the dance floor. She nods at Carly who stands up and gets everyone's attention. "All right, ladies, it is time for Courtney to throw the bouquet. All single women please come to the dance floor." Audrey walks to the dance floor and smiles at Carly, who is standing in the front of the pack. She looks towards Noah and he smiles at her. She smiles back and turns her attention back to Courtney.

Courtney looks over her shoulder and counts to three before launching the bouquet of lilies into the air. Audrey watches as the flowers soar towards her, as if Courtney or fate planned it perfectly. She catches the bouquet and smiles. She walks over to where Noah is standing and puts her head on his shoulder. Courtney walks over and smiles at the couple. "I was hoping you would catch that." Audrey laughs. "So was I. I wanted something to remember this day." "I don't think you have to worry about that. Well, Jason and I need to go if we're going to catch our plane." "You have a private plane. I think it will wait for you." Courtney laughs. "Be safe while we're gone and you know that you can call us if you need anything." "I know, I know. Have a safe flight. I love you, Courtney." The women hug and Courtney steps back allowing Jason to hug his daughter. "I love you." "I love you, too. I'll miss you." He kisses her head and takes Courtney's hand, leading her through the crowd of guests wanting to see them off.

Audrey lets out a sigh and sits down at the nearest table. "I can't believe this day is over." Noah kneels in front of her. "Well, it's not quite yet." She gives him a puzzled look. "Audrey, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You brighten my life by just being in it. I know that no matter how bad I feel I can look at you and smile. I want to go to sleep next to you and wake up holding you for the rest of my life. And I know we're young and I know we have a lot of growing up to do but I want to grow with you. Will you marry me?" Audrey lets out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding. She raises her hand and gently rubs his face. He pulls out the ring box from his jacket pocket and opens it. "I will wait out this engagement for as long as you need. If you want to graduate college or focus on your career I will wait. As long as that ring is on your finger I will give you time…" Audrey bends down and kisses him. "We are young. And most people will probably think that we won't survive but they don't know us. We can and we will survive anything. I would love to marry you." Noah smiles widely. "Yeah?" She nods her head. "Yeah."

He lifts her out of her chair and spins her around. "I'm going to give you the perfect life." "You all ready have."


End file.
